Hazredous' Interruptions
by Eleventh Messenger
Summary: Crippled in a battle with pirates beyond the edges of Administered Space, the TSAB Cruiser Arthra is forced to crash land on an unadministered world with a shattered moon. With no way to get a message out of the planet's strange field of interference, they're forced to seek help from someone in a position of power; Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter One - Hard Landing

The sun had yet to rise, its imminent appearance apparent in the slow brightening of the horizon. The academy below was hidden in darkness, marred by points of light from streetlights and a scant few windows. The city beyond was quiet and dark as well, in those last moments before the populace stirred and awakened.

His footsteps echoed throughout his lofty office, the only other sounds being the steady metronome of ticking gears and the slow tap of his cane on the smooth tile floor. Ozpin stopped in front of the wide, curving window, drinking in the view as he took the day's first sip of coffee. It was a lovely view, and the decades of his stint as Beacon's headmaster had done nothing to diminish it.

One by one, the stars faded as the sky warmed. One by one, lights flickered on, dispelling the darkness spread out below. Ozpin took another sip, eyes fixed on the horizon, waiting for the first sliver of that red-gold orb to peek over the distant Emerald Forest.

A flicker of light caught his gaze, and Ozpin's eyes snapped _up_ , over the horizon. The light grew into an orb, bursting into fiery brilliance and leaving a burning contrail as it moved _down._ He raised an eyebrow, and let his cane lean against the window to bring his scroll up. Nearly-automatic twitches of his thumb linked the display to the tower's sensor net, and a quickly-growing wealth of information splayed across his vision.

Ozpin's other eyebrow rose toward his hairline, and he dialed with calm haste. He held the scroll to his ear, still watching the descending fire.

One ring. A second. The line connected just before the third, as expected. _"Oz. It's five in the morning over there."_

"James. Is the cruiser currently in the process of crashing into my backyard one of yours?"

 _"What? No, of course not. An unscheduled deployment would be in complete contradiction with the Vytal Treaty."_

"Of course. None of your ships happen to have gotten lost, have they?" Ozpin sipped his coffee again.  
 _  
"If they have, I'm not aware of it. A moment."_ A few muted beeps and clicks. _"No. Every ship I have is accounted for and where it's supposed to be. Whatever you're looking at, it's not one of mine."_

"Troublesome. Thank you, James."  
 _  
"I can assist immediately, Oz. An unknown cruiser-class vessel is worth the deployment."_

"No, I do not think that will be necessary."

 _"Oz..."_

A small sigh escaped his lips. "James. I assure you that if it _is_ something worthy of a full-scale deployment, I will not hesitate to call on you. Let me follow my procedures to determine that, first."

 _"...if you're sure. Still, I'll keep a squadron on standby. Call me if you need it."_

"Thank you, James. I do appreciate it. Good evening."

 _"Good morning, Oz."_ The line went dead.

Ozpin waited for a moment longer, tracking the flame as it slowed and dimmed, earthing itself beneath the distant trees. He tapped his scroll again. "Glynda. Come to my office, please."

The door opened not a moment later. "I assume this is about the sensor reading that just pinged my scroll?"

"It is indeed. I need you to scout it out for me, please. Leave immediately, and I will schedule substitutes for your classes today."

Glynda Goodwitch nodded once and turned on her heels, leaving the way she came. The door hissed shut, and the sun finally peaked over the horizon, its own light pouring forth across the sea of green. A single wisp of smoke marred the landscape.

 _We've had peace for eighty years. I've worked too hard; we've all worked too hard to have something ruin it._

* * *

Lindy Harlaown was having a _bad day._

She gripped the arms of the captain's chair as the _Arthra_ shook again to unaccustomed turbulence, and wondered just how bad her debriefing was going to be.

The _Arthra_ was crashing. This was a fact.

As far as she could tell, all procedures and contingencies were being followed perfectly. Damage control operations were being completed in record time, and there hadn't been a single system or resource on the ship neglected for maintenance or resupply. The _Arthra_ had been at full combat capacity.

The problem was that they had been, quite simply, outgunned, which was _not_ her fault. Faulty intel, the greatest bane of militaries everywhere. It was a testament to her ship and crew that the pirate cruiser and not the _Arthra_ was an expanding, cooling cloud of gas and debris, but that didn't change the fact that the Arthra was going down.

It _also_ wasn't her fault that the moment they'd settled into orbit around a nearby non-administered planet that their remaining systems failed without warning. Without sublight propulsion, there was no way for them to pull free of the planet's gravity well. The teleport grid had shut down as well, and they couldn't abandon ship. FTL communications were on the fritz, meaning they couldn't even call for help. _At least the emergency thrusters are chemical based._

To top it all off, she hadn't even been able to have her morning cup of tea, and the atmospheric turbulence made drinking anything impossible.

"Please tell me you have some good news, Amy."

"I have a landing site picked out! And we have enough reaction fuel to survive the landing! I think!"

"Wonderful. Can you put it on screen?"

"Nope!" Amy freed one hand to check her restraint harness, then tabbed the ship-wide comm. "All crew, brace for landing in thirty seconds! If you're not wearing your barrier jacket, _put it on now!"_

There wasn't much more time for thought. _This was supposed to be the_ Arthra' _s last deployment. Of course it was too much to ask to bring everyone home safe._

 _Damn. I really wanted a cup of t-_

* * *

The room was quiet and dark, only the barest hint of light coming through from behind the stitched red curtain. Four occupants slept easy in haphazard bunk beds. The only breaks to the silence were light breathing, soft snores, and a few sleepily-murmured words. Usually about cookies.

A glass of water sat on one of the room's desks. The flat surface trembled, concentric rings radiating out from the center to the edges and back, before smoothing out as if nothing had happened. In one of the bunks, a furry ear twitched once. Twice.

Amber eyes snapped open, and one of the room's occupants sat bolt upright in bed. Blake Belladonna glanced around the room, frowning. Nothing was out of place, and the quiet sounds from her sleeping teammates were unchanged. _What was that?_

She swung her legs off the mattress, touching bare feet to the carpet. Something woke her up, and after years of life with the White Fang, she had learned to _trust_ her senses when they were telling her things. Soundlessly, ears twitching, she rose to her feet, and was taking her first step away from the bed when the low rumble of distant thunder rolled through the room.

The faint frown on her face deepened. Blake hated rain. She padded across the room to the window, pushing the curtain aside to scowl out at the heavy clouds overhead, only for the expression to fade into confusion. The rising sun was just beginning to peek over the distant horizon, the last stars fading into the light. The sky was completely clear.

Completely clear except for a thin column of black smoke rising in the far distance. "...huh. Must have been a meteorite."

A burst of movement behind her, and Blake found herself awash in scattering rose petals. Ruby Rose was clinging to her arm, silver eyes wide. "REALLY?"

"Ruby, I said meteorite, not marshmallow."

"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID!" The diminutive leader of RWBY jumped up and down, still clutching Blake's arm. "TEAM MEETING!" There was heavy thumping on the wall, and a muffled, angry shout for them to _shut up._ "Sorry!"

Sleepy grumbles answered her, a heavy thud announcing Yang falling off of her top bunk. Weiss Schnee sat up, rubbing her face and glaring at Ruby through her fall of white hair. "Ruby Rose, you had better have a good reason for waking us up at… five in the morning. It's _Saturday._ "

"Seriously, Sis. What the hell?" Yang joined them at the window, rubbing the night's sleep from her eyes.

"Girls, girls! A _meteorite_ crashed into the Emerald Forest, look!" Ruby freed one hand from Blake's arm to point wildly at the distant column of rising ash. "We need to get there absolutely right now as soon as possible! Think of the possibilities!"

"...Grimm hunting? I'd be down with that." Yang grinned, ruffling Ruby's hair.

"Forest fire. That's _not_ our job though, Ruby. Leave that for the foresters." Weiss hadn't gotten out of bed, and was pulling the covers back over herself.

Blake shook her head, one ear laying low against her hair. "That's not what she's thinking.."

"No! It's a _meteorite_! Glorious heaven sent star metal!" Ruby bounced again, then vanished in a flurry of rose petals. The closet door was flung open, everyone's outfits being thrown at them. "Imagine what we could do with it! Imagine how impressed everyone would be if I upgrade Crescent Rose with a _star metal blade!_ Or if you replace the plating on Ember Celica with it!"

"...damn, that _would_ be the bee's knees."

"I know! And I'd still have my normal knees to go with it!"

Another sigh issued forth from Weiss as the heiress got out of bed. "...fine. There _is_ precedence. Space rocks have been known to contain rare minerals that are extremely valuable. It would be... advantageous to land a finder's claim on it."

Yang snickered. "Money talks, eh?"

"Yes, Yang. Money does talk, and if it's as valuable as I hope it is, splitting it four ways would do wonders for all of us. I don't want to stay beholden to my father's credit card forever."

"Then it's settled! Team RWBY and their fearless leader, venturing forth to seize _opportunity!"_

"And profit, apparently." Blake couldn't help but grin a little. It was pretty easy to get swept into Ruby's enthusiasm. "How do we get out there, though? It's not like we can just rent a bullhead without explaining what we plan on doing with it. We're not licensed pilots, either."

Yang grinned wider, and pointed out the window at Beacon's airfield. "We could always just hitch a ride. There's one being prepped right now. What are the chances that it's going anywhere _else?"_

Twenty minutes later, Glynda Goodwitch finished her pre-flight checklist and looked up from the bullhead's console, just missing a single rose petal drifting past the canopy. She pulled back on the throttle and lifted her bullhead off its landing pad. Considering the lifting power of that class of vehicle, it was completely understandable that she didn't notice five hundred pounds of extra weight. 

* * *

The return to consciousness brought both sensation and a lack thereof. Foremost, the pervasive numbness of morphine. Tingly and unpleasant pain all across her face and side, like a bad sunburn, was held far enough at bay to not dominate her thoughts. Sharper agony flared when she tried to move her arm, convincing her to stay still. The press of a mattress against her back, a specific uncomfortable firmness that she had become quite familiar with other the years.

Medbay.

But there was no steady beep of nearby monitors, no hum of the _Arthra's_ ventilation system. The only thing she could hear was her own breathing. Nanoha opened her eyes. Tried to, at least. The left was swollen shut, and she could feel the sticky roughness of a bandage over her face. Her right eye took in the darkened medical bay, dimly illuminated by red emergency lighting. The acrid stench of hot metal and burning plastic assaulted her nose. "...hello? Anyone?"

"Nanoha!" Amy Harlaown's voice answered her, and a few moments later she felt her right hand being gripped. "Glad you're awake, it was getting a little boring in here."

"Amy, what happened?" Nanoha tried to lever herself upright, and gasped as every muscle in her body screamed at her to stop. Amy's face came into view, and the woman let go of Nanoha's hand to put it on her chest, trying to guide her back down.

"No no, don't sit up! You took a bad hit, uhm... what's the last thing you remember?"

Not moving sounded like a good idea, but not an idea she _liked_. Still, Nanoha let herself slump back against the mattress. "I was... making my way to the teleport bay because Lindy sounded General Quarters. Then... I woke up here."

Amy nodded, reaching back down to give Nanoha's hand a squeeze. "The pirates got the first shot off. Some sort of ward-piercing effect and a whole lot of bad luck. The dimensional pockets in the bulkheads closest to the impact point lost containment, and the failsafes didn't activate…"

"...which means instead of dumping all the exploding hardware outside the hull like it was supposed to, some of it got ejected into the corridor." Nanoha freed her hand, reaching up to gingerly touch the bandage over her face. "How bad is it?"

Amy knew better than to try to break it to her gently. "Nothing permanent. Yuuno was able to patch you up in time so you won't lose the eye. Still, your arm's broken in two places, the orbit and cheekbone around your left eye are fractured, and there's more soft tissue trauma than I can name."

"I guess I'm…. off the line-up for a while." Nanoha tried to keep the disappointment from her tone. She was no stranger to grievous injury, after all, and could honestly say that she'd been in worse shape than this before. But she also knew that she was by no means ready for duty.

"You're off duty. If it wasn't for your barrier jacket, you'd be dead right now."

"What's the situation? Where is everyone?" The sheer _silence_ other than their conversation was getting to her. The _Arthra_ wasn't supposed to be this quiet.

"They're outside keeping the perimeter. We, uh… well, the long and short of it is that the _Arthra_ was so badly damaged in the fight that we had to put into orbit for repairs, and then something caused the drive core to shut down and then we suffered a system cascade failure and then we crashed. On the bright side, you got to sleep through the landing!"

That explained the slant to the floor. Nanoha looked at Amy again. The _Arthra's_ Chief Executive Aide had a bandage around her head, and in place of her uniform jacket, a wrapping of bandages around her chest was hidden by a patient gown. "I'm not the only one, huh?"

"Cracked ribs and bruising! I'm going to be submitting a recommendation for better crash restraints on the bridge when we get back to port." Amy's words were at odds with the cheer in her voice, but Nanoha was used to that. Nothing ever kept the woman down for long.

A few minutes passed in silence, only broken by the intermittent footsteps of someone passing by the medbay. Nanoha touched her bandage again, fighting back a sigh. "I wonder how everyone else is doing."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine!"

* * *

"There's no end to these things!" Chrono Harlaown ducked low and back, biting back a hiss as the motion put pressure on his bruised side. The claws meant for his throat slid over his head, close enough for him to feel the wind of their passing, and in the moment that the black-furred creature was overextended, he pushed _S2U_ forward against its chest. The storage device pulsed, electronic tones faithfully declaring his intent. " _Stinger Ray."_

Blue light thudded a staccato burst against the beast's chest. The bipedal wolf stumbled back and fell, black mist oozing from the holes drilled through its chest, and Chrono took the moment's reprieve to leap into the air. A worrisomely unsteady flight spell held him aloft, and he took the moment to look out across the hectic battlefield around the _Arthra._

 _Sankt Kaiser, I'm glad the Wolkenritter were on board for this mission._ Signum stood alone beyond the _Arthra's_ shattered forward booms, dauntless in the face of dozens of the black, bone-spiked beasts. Her armed device, _Laevatein,_ was awash in orange flames, cleaving the beasts with every swing. Chrono was confident enough that he could leave her to her own devices.

To the _Arthra's_ stern, Vita shrieked in berserker rage as she pounded white bone and black flesh with the business end of _Graf Eisen,_ as mobile as a demented pinball. No surprise there. Still, there were a _lot_ of the creatures back there, and if other parts of the perimeter could spare it, he'd send her reinforcements.

To the crashed ship's flanks, the _Arthra's_ second mage team was split into four pairs, fending off more of the assaulting animals. While they didn't have the raw firepower of the _Wolkenritter_ or the _Arthra's_ Aces, they made up for it with precision and veteran acumen. _I'm glad the crew is a well-oiled machine. There couldn't be a worse time for comms to be down._

With more effort than he would have preferred, Chrono arced up and over the _Arthra_ to land on the scored hull plating that protected the ship's globular bridge. "Shamal. Tell me you've got some good news."

The third _Wolkenritter_ glanced up from the circle of green light hovering before her. "I'm afraid not, Captain. I can't pinpoint the source of the interference at all. It almost feels like an anti-magic field, but it's not a pure dampening effect." She huffed in irritation, "It's almost more like a dimensional instability."

"We're light years away from the nearest stretch of Badlands."

"I know. At least the crew is managing. Captain Yagami hasn't lost her telepathic link with Sergeant Rein, so she's our point of communication to Admiral Harlaown. Yuuno and Zafira are supporting the starboard side, and Fate and Arf are on port."

"At least something's going in our favor. If this doesn't let up soon we're going to start having mana exhaustion issues. Tell Hayate to talk to Admiral Harlaown about authorizing stimulant doses if it gets much wor-"

A raucous screech interrupted him, and they both looked up to see a black-feathered bird the size of a transport shuttle crest over the trees. Malevolent red eyes glowed menacingly as it focused on them, circling overhead.

"...you've got to be kidding me."

* * *

The bullhead set down in a small clearing a couple miles from the crash site. Glynda frowned at the column of smoke in the distance, then danced her fingers over the controls to shut the craft down. Rising to her feet, she gave her clothes a perfunctory tug back into place before striding through the hatch to the cargo bay and its open doors. A heavy thud caught her attention.

Glynda's eyes narrowed.

There was a second thud, followed by a quiet groan.

Her lips pursed into a thin line.

Two more thuds, another muted exclamation of pain. Glynda's eyebrow twitched with each sound.

"Ruby, if I didn't already know it would be a useless endeavor I would be demanding your share after this… travesty of a flight." The heiress' voice wasn't quite as shrill as it could be.

"Weiss, it's okay! We made it, now we just need to hurry up and get out before OH MY DUST IT'S PROFESSOR GOODWITCH."

Her riding crop was in her hand. Glynda almost snarled, gathering all four of the wayward students with a sharp gesture and hauling them into the air, hanging by the backs of their collars on strings of telekinetic force. "Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. What the _hell_ are you doing out here?"

The white-haired heiress seemed absolutely mortified, as if she could already see her academic record going down the drain. Yang kicked a little, but managed to cast a glance over at the diminutive team leader. "It was your idea, sis!"

"U-uhm, well! You see, uhm! Mrs. Goodwitch, we didn't know you were the one on the bullhead-"

"Obviously."

"A-a-a-and uhm we wanted to, uhm, well you see-"

The only one not struggling, Blake Belladonna hung limply by the scruff of her neck. Even the bow on top of her head drooped, pulled along by her hidden ears. "...I heard the meteorite come down this morning. Ruby wanted to go hunt it down to lay a finder's claim on it. 'Glorious heaven sent star metal,' is what she called it."

"Blaaa~aake!"

Glynda swore under her breath, turning her back to the strays and pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Stay there and _do not move._ I need to make a call."

"Don't worry about us, ma'am! We'll just _hang_ around!"

Groans chased the blonde brawler's joke. Glynda stopped and turned back around. Another twitch of her crop brought Yang face-to-face with her, and she leaned in until there was a scant inch between their noses. "Ms. Xiao Long. Watch yourself before I _pun-_ t you all the way back to Beacon."

Yang's eyes widened even further. Her voice was a hushed whisper. "...you're a _master!_ "

Sending the blonde to rejoin her compatriots, Glynda pulled out her scroll, quick-dialing and holding it to her ear. It picked up after two rings. " _Glynda. Have you arrived at the crash site?"_

"Headmaster. I have _stowaways._ "

" _...really? Which team?"_

Glynda bit down on her first choice of words. It would do no good to lose her composure while talking to the headmaster himself. Still… she _was_ a bit vexed. "Which do you _think?_ "

"HI HEADMASTER OZPIN!" Ruby almost flipped herself upside down with her inane waving.

" _Hmm. That would explain why all the chocolate chip cookies were gone from the cafeteria so early in the morning. Tell Ms. Rose that I expect her to assist in the kitchens tomorrow. More importantly, how did they know?"_

"Ms. Belladonna says she heard the _meteorite_ come down this morning. They came out here to find it and claim the resource rights."

" _That's rather reassuring, actually. There was no information leak, just adolescent enthusiasm."_

"What the hell am I supposed to do with them?"

" _As long as they're out there? Include them in the mission. Inform them of the situation, make certain that they understand this is a highly sensitive situation and everything they see and hear is classified, and use them. They want to be huntresses, Glynda."_

"...fine. I'll contact you when I know more."

" _Good hunting."_ The line went dead.

"CHILDREN." The burgeoning three-way conversation behind her cut off immediately, and three sets of wide eyes instantly locked onto her. Blake Belladonna lethargically looked up from the clump of grass below her hanging feet, a morose cast to her expression.

"Ma'am!" Ruby raised a hand. "I-I know we're in big trouble and all but we really didn't mean to do anything _wrong_ and we won't try to run away if you let us down! Team Leader's honor!"

"When I'm _finished_ , Ms. Rose."

"I know you were going to eventually but you're still holding us up by our necks and you probably didn't even think about it but _you're kinda scruffing Blake!"_ Ruby's voice had morphed to a harsh stage whisper. "I'd be embarrassed if I was in her shoes!"

 _Shit._ The girl was right. Blake Belladonna was a _cat_ faunus. _Riots have started over less._ Glynda gestured almost too-quickly, cutting the telekinetic hold. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all landed on their rears, surprised at the suddenness of the release. Blake landed on her feet, instantly aware and alert. "Ms. Belladonna, I-"

The black-haired girl gave her head a quick shake. "I'm part of the team, ma'am. I don't expect special treatment."

"Right. Well. Since you are out here of your own initiative, Headmaster Ozpin has directed me to keep you with me for the duration of this mission."

Ruby raised her hand again. "B-but what about the meteorite? You know, uhm. Glorious heaven sent star metal?"

"There is no meteorite, Ms. Rose."

Silence followed in the wake of that statement. Glynda allowed herself to enjoy it for a scant two seconds. "What you are about to hear is _classified material_. That means you may tell _no one_ about it. You will not talk about it in public, and you will not discuss it in private if there is the slightest chance that you will be overheard. Is this clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am!" The other three echoed their leader's exclamation.

"Good. What you believed was a meteorite was a crashing airship of unknown origin. Headmaster Ozpin dispatched me to investigate the crash site, locate any survivors, and if necessary call for additional backup. Given that I am now saddled with you four, _you_ are my backup. That means you need to do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am! We won't let you down!" If anything, the four girls stood straighter. Glynda couldn't help but feel at least a little bit assuaged by their reactions.

 _I suppose a little proper direction can go a long way._ "Good. Ms. Rose, please take field command. I will be grading you on your individual and collective performances."

"Yes, ma'am! Blake, take point! Yang, you're walking drag! Weiss, stay in the middle with Professor Goodwitch! I'll flank left. Move out, team!"

 _Yes, I think a little guidance is exactly what these girls need._

 _..._

 _Oh Dust. I'm beginning to sound like Ozpin._


	2. Chapter 2

" _People often talk about world changing events, but I find it is rare indeed to witness something that actually changes the face of the world. I did not realize it at the time, but the Arthra's crash landing on Remnant was one of them. With that single event, the world became a much smaller place, and the universe became much, much larger."  
-Beacon Headmaster Ozpin_

" _I have to admit, it wasn't quite how I would have liked to have made first contact. A perfect first contact scenario for me involves tea. Maybe some biscuits."  
-Admiral Lindy Harlaown_

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter Two - Fresh Ingredients

Massive trees towered on all sides as Team RWBY pushed through the undergrowth. This deep in the Emerald Forest, the ground was shrouded in perpetual twilight, as the overlapping canopies a hundred feet overhead blocked out any hint of the mid-morning sun. Fifty feet ahead, of the rest of the team, Blake crept soundlessly across the loam. If it wasn't for the months of teamwork training and knowing exactly where she was, Ruby was pretty sure she'd have already lost track of the faunus.

Blake held up her left hand, clenched into a fist. Ruby stopped in her tracks, hunkering down and passing the signal back. Her other hand cradled Crescent Rose's compact rifle form close to her side. She could hear everyone else follow the command, and waited until Blake backtracked to her. "What is it?"

"Grimm ahead. Beowolves. They're clustered around a piece of debris."

Ruby nodded, waving the others forward. She was all too aware of Professor Goodwitch watching her, so she tried to tone down her enthusiasm. _Keep it professional, Ruby!_ "Okay people. Blake spotted a group of beowolves ahead, looks like they found a piece of the airship. Let's creep closer and get a look, then take them out." The blonde professor didn't react at all, which she took as a good sign.

The huntresses stalked forward, keeping to low bushes and fallen tree trunks for cover. Getting closer, they could hear the growls and howls of the beasts ahead, low and grating. Something about the tone bothered her, but it wasn't until she poked her head around a tree and saw the dozen Grimm that she realized what it was.

It was an entire _pack_ of Alphas. Every one of the creatures would have stood ten feet high at full stretch, covered in thick bone plating from head to toe. The creatures were clamboring over a twisted mass of metal, tearing at it with long claws.

The team ducked back, using the tree for cover. Ruby motioned everyone close. "That's a lot of Alphas… they look pretty distracted, so we've got time to set up properly. Opinions?"

Yang flexed her fingers, and Ember Celica unfolded around her forearms. "We can take 'em. Treat 'em like a bunch of Ursa on speed and wear 'em down."

"Right… okay. Blake, you and I will be on distraction duty. Weiss, lock down stragglers with ice. Yang, we'll keep them off you while you kill them one at a time." She paused, then looked up at their teacher. "Uhm. Professor Goodwitch? Stay on support and please lend a hand if we get in over our heads?" The woman nodded, pushing her glasses up and flicking her riding crop out to full length.

"Okay! Let us get into position. Blake, go left, there's more cover." Ruby waited until the faunus reached her flanking position, then dashed to the right in a burst of rose petals. _Crescent Rose_ unfolded into its scythe form, and she angled the blade low and away. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and she forced herself to take a few steadying breaths.

Weiss' glyph lit up the undergrowth with pale white light, and then ice shot forth from _Mytrenaster's_ tip. The torrent of shards sprayed against the beowolves, then expanded outward explosively, trapping half of the beasts in a frozen embrace. Ruby took off like a shot, spinning through the surprised grimm like a dervish and striking sparks off their armored hides. Behind her, she could hear the rapid-fire coughing of Blake's _Gambol Shroud_.

The six beowolves that were still mobile howled their outrage, chasing after Ruby and Blake with single-minded determination. Black and red traded targets with abandon, leaving stinging cuts with the sole intent of keeping the creatures too angry to regroup. A moment later, a triple burst of heavy shells announced Yang's entry into the scrap, and the first beowolf fell and didn't rise.

It took a hectic five minutes, like a deadly game of tag, but the end of the fight saw the final beowolf coughing a death rattle as it collapsed, black mist leaking from a dozen wounds. Team RWBY regrouped as the last bodies dissolved, the heady thrill of victory penetrating the hints of fatigue suffusing their limbs. Professor Goodwitch joined them, marking notes on a pad of paper. "Well done, girls. What did you notice during your fight?"

Blake was the first to answer. "They weren't fighting like Alphas."

"Explain." Professor Goodwitch's tone made it very clear that the post-battle discussion was part of the grade.

"They were stupid!" Yang laughed, but the amusement faded a little when the professor looked at her. "I mean it! Alphas are supposed to be smart, right? Old and cagey, 'cause of age and experience. These ones were nothing but angry hot air, like a bunch of babies."

"Hmm. The rest of you are in agreement?"

Ruby traded a glance with Weiss, then nodded and spoke for both of them. "Yes, ma'am. It shouldn't have been that easy. We were ready and waiting for them to figure out what was going on and try to change the game, but they never caught on. The last one died just as easily as the first."

"Observant of you. Very good. Now let's take a look at what it was that caught their attention, shall we?" Professor Goodwitch strode past them. Ruby wanted to jump up and down with glee. _We did good! We took out a whole pack of alphas and we didn't even need her help and she's totally impressed with us and don't gush about it because that's totally not professional. But I'm totally making cookies for everyone when we get back!_

After a moment, she realized that Yang was the only one still standing with her. Her sister had a wide grin on her face, violet eyes alight with mirth. "Cookies, lil' sis?"

"Once we're back home!" She grabbed Yang's arm and _zipped_ along to catch up with the others. She looked with the rest of them at the half-buried mass of metal, and slowly the cheer drained away. It was replaced by dawning apprehension. "...that's-"

She was interrupted by a shudder running through her, deep in her chest. Beyond the crowded treetops, the sky turned white, deepening the shadows around them to blackness. Tree trunks overhead split as a pressure wave bowled through them, and a harsh wind swept through the underbrush, blowing branches and dead leaves past them with frightening speed.

Ruby saw the same expression of confusion and surprise on everyone's face. Weiss finished the thought for her. "That's a _really_ big gun, isn't it."

* * *

"Captain Yagami, inform the bridge that fire was on target, and pass my compliments to the weapons officers." Chrono let himself breathe easy for a moment, watching the scattering cloud of burning plumage that was once an entire _flock_ of the giant black birds. The massive flyers had proven to be a lethal force, and the upper hull of the _Arthra_ was now covered in a veritable forest of iron-hard black feathers taller than he was. Thankfully, the secondary batteries' capacitors had held onto their charge.

The petite, brown haired girl nodded, shielding her eyes from the after-glare of the secondary gun's beam. "Message delivered. Sergeant Rein says guns two, three, and six still have charge for a shot."

"We'll save them for when we need them. How's Shamal doing on getting through that interference?"

"No luck, sir. She beginning to think the local mana fields are just antithetical to complicated magic effects. Did you see how the beam distorted out past a certain range?"

"Yeah, I noticed. My accuracy's shit right now too." Chrono held back a wince at the slip of the tongue. Swearing was one of his tells, he knew, and now Hayate knew how the stress was starting to get to him. The situation was starting to look hopeless; more and more of the black monsters had kept swarming the crash site, of increasingly dangerous size and shape. He could see Signum holding off a giant, bone-plated _scorpion_ with blade and sheath, while Vita was going hammer-to-tusk with a giant, armored _elephant._ While it was obvious that the two knights were winning their respective duels, more of the massive creatures were shouldering and cutting through the trees.

 _Keep your cool. The fastest way to destroy the morale of your subordinates is to let them know that you don't know what to do. Give orders, even if they're just to give yourself time to think of better orders._ Chrono shook his head. "Captain Yagami. Message to Admiral Harlaown. We need every crewman capable of firing a weapon out here, if they're not already tasked with other duties. Distribute capacitor arms as necessary."

Hayate Yagami gave him a look as she readjusted her hat. " _Every_ crewman, Chrono? You know what's going to happen if I pass that along word for word."

"I said every crewman, Yagami. Leaving Takamachi in medbay won't help her if the ship gets overrun. She's smart enough to function despite her injuries."

"All right, if you say so. Fate's going to tear a strip out of you once we're out of this."

"She's welcome to it." Chrono took another glance around the battlefield and swore again. " _Damn it_ , that's going to be a breakthrough! Yagami, contact fire control for gun six. Position nine-thirty o'clock, treeline. Herd of elephants. Fire for effect!"

* * *

Nanoha felt the deck _thrum_ , as stored energy was released in a destructive beam at _something_. "Another secondary just fired, Amy."

"I could feel it." The young woman- _hah, she's older than you are, Takamachi-_ winced, looking up at the room's ceiling. "I'm sure they're doing okay."

"At least it's not raining anymore." They both knew that whatever had battered the upper hull was, it was _not_ rain. It had sounded more like gunfire than anything, echoing through the _Arthra's_ silent halls for a long minute before the first cannon had fired.

Two minutes ticked by in silence, before Nanoha's ears heard the rapid footsteps of someone approaching the medbay. The door slid open, and one of the _Arthra's_ engineering crew poked his head into the room. "Ahh… Captain Takamachi? Chief Officer Harlaown?"

Nanoha banished any hints of pain from her voice. "What do you need, Seaman?"

"Captain Harlaown has requested all combat-capable personnel outside. No one said it, but things are looking pretty rough out there."

Nanoha's hand went to her chest, clasping the garnet orb sitting there. "Raising Heart!"

" _Yes, my master!"_

"Set up!"

Amy yelped, stepping back as Nanoha's barrier jacket flashed into existence, replacing her hospital gown. "Nanoha! You're in no condition to head into combat!"

Nanoha used her good arm to lever herself upright, then slid off the bed with a grunt of effort. "You heard him. All combat-capable personnel. I don't need both arms to cast Accel Shooter, and my linker core is _fine._ "

Any huffed, looking around as if hoping for someone to jump out of the shadows and contradict the flight mage. "...dammit.. _fine._ But I'm going out with you. Fate would never forgive me if I let you get hurt." The officer tabbed her wrist-computer, and her own duty-jacket formed. She drew her sidearm, checking the power levels. "Can you walk, or do you need a hand?"

 _Raising Heart_ was comfortingly solid when Nanoha leaned on it. "I can walk. Let's get out there and make a difference!"

Nanoha had to stop once to catch her breath, leaning against the wall and trying to soothe the pain in her ribs. The _Arthra's_ corridors were dark, illuminated only by the same red emergency strips that had been in the medbay.

When they opened the airlock, the morning sun nearly blinded Nanoha with its brilliance. She raised her arm to block out the glare, squinting. "At least it's a nice day outside…"

" _Protection," Raising Heart_ agreed. A black feather two meters long shattered against the device's automatics, and Nanoha scowled as she followed the trajectory to the source.

A giant black bird was swinging around for another pass. "Accel Shooter!" A dozen pink orbs, each as wide as the span of her hand and seething with contained energies, winked into being around her. She could feel the drain of the spell on her linker core.

Nanoha frowned. Accel Shooter didn't drain her linker core. It was one of her simplest, most efficient spells.

No matter. She'd cut her teeth rapid firing Divine Busters, after all. She swept _Raising Heart_ out, pointing the circular head of the staff at the flying monster. "Shoot!"

The orbs darted into the air, but less than a dozen meters away the orbs started wavering in flight. Two of them collided, detonating in garish bursts of light, and a third shattered into nothingness when she lost control of it. "What the hell?"

" _Sorry, my master. Interference issues."_

Nanoha scowled, feeling the pull of the bandage over her eye on her skin. She let three more orbs fade into nothing, putting her effort into reinforcing the half-dozen that were left. Their glow intensified, and while she could tell that they still weren't moving as precisely as she'd prefer, it was good enough.

Nanoha let her lips curl into a smile as the fusillade of energy balls arced up and over the black bird to come crashing down across its head and back. Three of the charges exploded on impact, but Nanoha kept the other three intact. A twitch of her fingers around _Raising Heart,_ and the orbs began battering the beast again and again, forcing it from the skies into a downward spiral.

Beside her, Amy was taking shots at any wolf-creatures that dared to get too close, forcing them back with simple pulses of white light. "It's a madhouse out here, Nanoha!"

"We've dealt with worse! Just let me know if anything gets too close, I'm going to keep working on those flyers! Accel Shooter!"

* * *

A scant minute after the sky lit up like it was on fire, it happened _again_ , only this time the shockwave had gone through the ground and nearly thrown them off their feet. All four of them glanced nervously at Professor Goodwitch, who brushed a leaf from her hair and straightened her glasses. "We can't go back now, girls. Not until we know what's going on out there."

So, Team RWBY crept further forward, but any true enthusiasm had been replaced by trepidation. The shudder Ruby had felt had morphed into a twitchy, energetic sensation, making her clench her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. She reached up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, watching a few rose petals drift by.

She paused, blinking, then looked down around her feet. More rose petals were scattered across the leaves, trailing behind her until she lost track of them in the shadows beneath the trees. _What in the world? I'm not using my semblance, why am I leaving petals?_

Ruby glanced up to signal Weiss, but when she spotted her white-haired partner, something seemed off. _She's moving so slowly… wait, so is Professor Goodwitch. And Yang!_ Ruby's eyes widened, and she felt her breath quicken to short, sharp pants. Suddenly she was sitting, not even remembering falling to the dirt.

"Ruby?" The low, drawn out word caught her attention. She snapped her head up to see Weiss running _too-slowly!_ toward her. Goodwitch and Yang followed, concern in all of their eyes. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"I can't, I ...I can't stop it! It won't turn off!" Ruby clutched her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She could feel rose petals brushing against her skin.

She could hear Weiss again, but the words were taking far too long. "Ruby, slow down, you're talking too fast. You're hyperventilating. Deep breaths."

Ruby jerked her head in a nod, and took a deep breath. She held it for a moment, then let it go as slowly as she could. She opened her eyes, taking another breath. "I… I can't…" _She said you're talking too fast._ Ruby let the breath out and took another. She made the effort to space her words out, being as clear and distinct as she could be. "I can't turn off my semblance. You're all moving really slowly and _oh my dust Weiss your hands are like ice!"_

The heiress looked down at where she'd grabbed Ruby's wrist, then yanked her hand away. Now that Ruby thought about it, there was the faint glow of one of Weiss' glyphs around her, ghostly and insubstantial. Her eyes flicked to Yang, and she could see heat rising from her older sister's hair, hot sparks blazing between the golden strands. Yang's eyes were still calmly violet, though, not burning red. "W-what is this?"

Blake dropped down from a tree branch, and Ruby could see the shadowy afterimage of her semblance trailing behind her motions. _Then_ she noticed that all of the loose twigs and leaves on the dirt around them were floating an inch or two off the ground. "...Professor Goodwitch?"

"I'm aware, Ms. Rose. Are any of you experiencing any pain or discomfort?" The teacher turned her hand over, perking an eyebrow as every bit of detritus flipped over with it.

"No pain, ma'am. Just feeling a bit hot and bothered. Ha, ha!" Yang gave a thumbs up, but her grin wilted when the professor glared at her. "Er.. uhm. Really. I mean, I feel like I'm blazing, 'cause, you know," Yang paused to flip some of her hair forward, scattering sparks everywhere, "I am. But I'm not angry or anything. It's weird."

Weiss looked up from examining _Myrtenaster_ , flipping the revolver chamber closed. "I don't seem to be expending any of my Dust reserves, so apparently I'm just manifesting my natural affinity to Ice Dust in my glyphs. Still, that's very strange."

"Ms. Belladonna?"

"I feel a little off, but it's nothing that will slow me down." Blake dropped to her haunches, and Ruby couldn't help but glances at the _too-slowly_ fading afterimages she left behind. "You okay, Ruby?"

 _Crap. I need to get ahold of myself, I'm the leader!_ Ruby forced another breath out through her nose, then nodded and shot to her feet. She remembered to keep her speech slow. "I'm okay. I'm okay, sorry about that. Let's get moving, girls. Blake, on point again."

They moved out again. Blake dashed forward, and Yang split the distance between the faunus and the rest of the team. Weiss dropped back to carry the rear, leaving Ruby and the professor in the center. The team took off at a run.

Well, the rest of the team did. Now that she'd had a moment to adapt, Ruby was able to let herself be amused by the fact that to her, she was moving at a _sedate walking pace_ to let the senior huntress keep up with her. Rose petals swirled around her every step. "This is really weird, Professor."

"Slowly, Ms. Rose."

"Oops, sorry! I said this is really weird. Have you ever heard of something like this happening?"

"I must say that I have not. Adapting to the unknown is part of being a huntress, though. I'm glad you managed to calm down."

The professor glanced at her, which Ruby took as an invitation to speak. "Well, I'm still a little freaked out, but… like Headmaster Ozpin told me, I'm the leader and I have to put the team first, right? I can freak out alone in the bathroom after we get back."

"Ms. Rose, while I understand what you're trying to say, please. Do not hesitate to come to your teachers if you have a problem that you feel you cannot speak to your friends about. We're here to help you, not just train you."

Ruby didn't get the chance to reply. Menacing howls of Grimm filtered through the trees, and with a quick glance at Professor Goodwitch, the red huntress darted forward in a burst of rose petals. She slid to a stop next to Blake, looking down the sloping wall of a muddy valley.

A half mile away, a massive ship of carbon-scored metal lay against a giant mound of dirt and broken trunks. Ruby realized that the valley wasn't natural, it was _gouged_ out of the ground by the force with which the strange vessel had landed. Flat hull plating wrapped around a central armored sphere, heavy armor holding it securely in the center of the wreck. Propped up against the artificial hill, the single spear at the front of the ship pointed at the distant sky; she could see the shattered stub of the spear's twin on the other side of the forward hull. Scattered around the main body were a half dozen more examples of the wreckage they had seen earlier.

Ruby could see people now, absolutely tiny shapes in comparison to the massive craft they struggled to defend. Tiny spots and rays of different-colored light flew from them, and Ruby would have thought the effect quite beautiful if it wasn't for the hordes of Grimm swarming around the beleaguered defenders. It felt like minutes for her to take it all in, but she knew that for everyone else only a few seconds had passed.

An achingly long moment later, Yang, Weiss, and Professor Goodwitch caught up to her and Blake. Ruby gave them the even _longer_ moment to let them take in the sight, then snapped her fingers to get their attention. "Okay, team. This is… big. Really big. Bigger than I think I knew what big meant. So I'm going to make the _command decision_ to hand control back over to Professor Goodwitch, because I really feel like that's the smart thing to do."

Her teammates and teacher all looked at her, then at each other. Professor Goodwitch arched an eyebrow. "Ms. Rose, could you repeat that please? Slowly, this time."

 _Crap. This sucks._ "...Ma'am, could you take over? Please? There's a lot going on here and I don't think I should be in charge."

"Hm. Even with the knowledge that this is the kind of decision that can affect your grade, Ms. Rose?" The professor had a speculative expression on her face.

"I don't think that's fair, ma'am, but yes! This isn't just a Grimm hunt, there are real people down there who really need our help, and I'm just a student!" Ruby swallowed, glancing down at the battle, then back at Professor Goodwitch. "...you told us we'd have to do exactly what you say. Well we're here, and we need you to tell us what to do. If I lose points on individual grading for this, fine."

She knew that she'd started to talk too fast again, but the professor seemed to understand. "Your point is taken. Team RWBY, we're going to be punching through the back of the Grimm like a needle through leather, so that we can add our support to the defenders. Ruby, your semblance is still active, yes? Do you trust it to get you all the way to them without being hurt?"

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby nodded quickly. To the others she was sure that her head was just a blur.

"Then do just that. Get to them, and help them hold back the tide. We'll be along as quickly as we can."

"Okay, team RWBY! Thorn Cannon!" Professor Goodwitch opened her mouth, but let it shut as all four of the girls moved with _purpose_.

Blake hooked _Gambol Shroud_ around a pair of tree trunks, pulling the ribbon taut. Ruby jumped up and landed on it in a blur of rose petals, one of Weiss' glyphs quickly darkening to black under her feet. Yang tugged the professor out of the way as the ribbon started to bend backwards. To each side, yard-wide tree trunks started to groan with the strain.

Ruby flipped her hood up over her head, then readied _Crescent Rose_. She noticed Weiss giving her an odd look. "...what? The wind got in my eyes last time."

"Whatever. I'm time-boosting you for the launch. Don't waste it."

Ruby nodded, sweeping _Crescent Rose_ into position behind her. The ribbon tilted, aiming her up into the air so she'd have the best view of the battlefield. _This is what we're training for!_ "Okay, Weiss! Take the shot!"


	3. Chapter 3

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 3 - First Contact

Nanoha grimaced, taking one limping step back and letting the wolf-thing's claws pass an inch from her throat. A ball of pink energy slammed into the bottom of the beast's jaw, throwing it back into its brethren in a tangle of fur and bone plating.

The tide wasn't turning, and every fresh wave of the beasts were larger and harder to kill. Even a solid drumming from every Accel Shooter ball she had running wasn't guaranteeing a kill anymore, and the sheer number of the creatures didn't give her the luxury of time needed to make sure one stayed down. The best she was able to do was keep them at bay while Amy sunk shot after shot into them from her sidearm. "I'm down to twenty percent charge, Nanoha!"

"Fire a white flare and keep shooting, someone will get to us in time!"

" _Master!" Raising Heart's_ electronic tone sounded urgent.

"What is it, partner?"

" _I detect an unknown localized distortion!"_

"What?!" Nanoha abandoned any pretense of finesse, sweeping _Raising Heart_ in an arc in front of her. A feeling of exhaustion followed the heavy tugging at her linker core, and a wave of force erupted from the staff's golden head to throw every creature in front of her back a dozen yards. She took the brief moment to look around wildly, until her device helpfully overlaid her vision. Tiny pink arrows caught her eye, and her attention focused on a targeting reticle at the very edge of _Arthra's_ impact crater, some five hundred yards distant.

A true dimensional dislocation marked a place where the very fabric of reality was damaged and breaking down. The most notable examples stemmed back to the Al Hazredian apocalypse, which had left wide swaths of space across dozens of dimensions permanently scarred and unstable. A localized distortion, however, was something else. Typically representative of a powerful, but stable, magical working, the simplest example of a localized distortion was the effect a starship class weapon had on local space just before firing.

Shouts of alarm and panic reached Nanoha's ears as every functioning device on site faithfully reported the same information to their respective users. Nanoha tried to disengage, but a giant bipedal bear thundered through the scattered ranks of manwolves, batting at her with a paw the size of a side of beef. Nanoha was thrown back a dozen feet to slam against the _Arthra's_ hull.

New spikes of pain made themselves known in her chest. She could taste copper.

 _Raising Heart_ rested on her lap. She raised her hand, pointing at the armored bear and spitting bloodied words. "Divine shooter! Shoot!" The first volley of magic skipped off the beasts bony shoulder. The second hammered a drumming beat into its chest, knocking it back a single step. The third sputtered and died, energies fading into twisting streamers around her wrist. The bear stalked forward, roaring.

Nanoha saw a flash of red.

The giant beast slammed into the ground, the shockwave of the impact knocking the wolves off their feet again. A figure shrouded in blood red stood atop the fallen creature's shoulders. One arm cradled a heavy staff, pale fingers wrapped around the narrow shaft below the long, boxy head. Its fingers twitched.

The head of the staff _unfolded_ with the mechanical clatter of moving parts, becoming the blade of a massive scythe. Nanoha could see two points of silver underneath the cloak's hood, staring into her soul.

 _Kami-sama, no. I'm not ready to go like this. I have too much to do._ Nanoha tried to stand, grasping _Raising Heart._ The idea of fighting death itself seemed comical, but she'd never backed down from a fight before. "It's not my time!"

To her surprise, the reaper seemed to agree. The scythe twirled, a blur of motion faster than her eyes could track, until the blade rested underneath the struggling bear-thing's neck. There was a gunshot-like crack, an explosion of fire from the end of the scythe's shaft, and the beast's head was flung clear into the air. The decapitated body sunk back to the ground, leaking black mist.

Nanoha watched, mouth agape, even as Amy helped her to her feet. Before the head even landed, the reaper had moved on, hurling through the ranks of armored wolves. Every slash flowed into the next, every step and motion perfectly placed to send the bladed scythe arcing through bone-plated limbs and torsos. The dance of death unfolded like language before Nanoha's eyes, and the gunfire-like detonations were the exclamations to the reaper's prose.

 _Ugh. Why did I sign up for that poetry class._ Nanoha shook the thoughts from her head, bringing _Raising Heart_ up only to find Amy's hand on hers, forcing the staff back down.

The _Arthra's_ Executive Aide shook her head. "Nanoha, I just watched you fizzle a spell. You're _done_."

"Amy, I can still fight!"

"The hell you can! _CHRONO!"_

Nanoha stared, disbelieving. "You did not just call your husband on me."

Between the disturbing sounds of metal parting flesh and the growls of wounded monsters, Nanoha heard boots hit the ground. She turned to find Chrono wiping blood from a cut to his forehead. "Amy! Are you okay?"

"Captain Harlaown. Second Air Captain Takamachi is no longer fit for duty due to mana exhaustion."

"AMY!" Nanoha wanted to scream in frustration, but then her side reminded her why that was a bad idea.

Chrono tilted his head, hesitating for a split second while he changed gears from husband to officer, then nodded. "Raising Heart Excelion. Authorize Chrono Harlaown, Captain, Time Space Administrative Bureau. Confirm voiceprint; blue, left, underscore, endgame."

" _Authorization confirmed for Chrono Harlaown!"_

"Initiate restrict lock. Barrier jacket and automatics only. Confirm."

" _Restrict lock confirmed! Mana usage restricted to barrier jacket and automatics only!"_ The staff flashed and vanished, leaving Nanoha sputtering and clutching the device's storage form.

Chrono nodded in satisfaction, then glanced up to watch the figure reaping through the horde of monsters. "Who's the new contact, Captain Takamachi?"

Nanoha choked on her angry retort, forcing it back down. _He had to pull the military card._ She let out the breath, inhaling through her nose. "...I'm not sure, sir. It dropped out of the sky right after Raising Heart warned me about the local distortion. I thought we were about to get strafed."

"You're not the only one." Chrono replied, keeping his eyes on the newcomer. The last of the wolves in the immediate area fell, and they watched as the figure slammed a new magazine home in the shaft of the scythe. Every motion was sped up, almost like Fate using Sonic Move except constant and not _quite_ as fast. Red petals swirled from under the figure's cloak, and Nanoha caught the hint of roses in bloom on the wind. It brandished the scythe in one arm, raising a pale hand and pointing at them. It keened; a piercing shriek that had Chrono raising _S2U_ and making Nanoha clutch _Raising Heart's_ orb in apprehension. Amy ducked behind Chrono.

Vita's howl of fury caught their attention, and all four of them could only watch as the diminutive berserker hammered a giant scorpion flat against _Arthra's_ pockmarked hull; the monster had been crawling down the side of the ship to get to them. The smallest _Wolkenritter_ was gone as soon as she'd arrived, yelling at some perceived slight while she rocketed off to deal with another creature.

The hooded reaper watched the tiny knight scream into the distance. The raised hand lowered, and the crimson scythe dipped down to stab into the dirt. Pale hands reached up to shove back the hood.

Nanoha blinked. The figure was suddenly standing in front of them, rose petals swirling around them all and the scythe compacting back down into what was now obviously a rifle. It was a girl, she saw now. Just shy of Nanoha's own height, but obviously a few years younger. Clad in blacks and trimmed in red underneath the cloak, with bright, silver eyes and petite features. Her short, black hair was tinged deep red at the tips. The girl bounced up and down on her heels, fast enough to do a decent impression of a jackhammer but slowing down even while they watched. She opened her mouth, and a high-pitched mishmash of sounds emerged.

"...did anyone else catch that? Oh, thank you, _Raising Heart."_ Pink letters started scrolling through the air a couple feet in front of her.

 _Origin Language - Al Hazredi - Speaker Unrecognized_  
' _Are you all okay? I got through as quickly as I could, that (NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE - TRANSLITERATION [URSA]) didn't hurt you, did it? You took a nasty hit, and you're still bleeding!'_

"...u-uhm. I'm… fine? I've been worse?"

Chrono glanced at her, and then in words only slightly halting, relayed her words to the girl.

 _Origin Language - Al Hazredi - Speaker Chrono Harlaown_  
' _She will be fine. Thank you for your… assistance.'_

The girl smiled brightly, eyes shining.

 _Origin Language - Al Hazredi - Speaker Unrecognized_  
' _You talk kinda funny. Anyway, that's what I'm supposed to do, help people in need! The rest of my team will be here soon, and… and... what in the name of dust is that?'_ The girl's eyes had locked onto the floating pink letters, head tilting to one side. Suddenly she was _behind_ Nanoha, looking over her shoulder. ' _Creatures of [Grimm] come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from- holy dust are those subtitles? Are you subtitling me? That's amazing! I can't even tell what it says but it's totally moving whenever I talk! [Yaaaa~aaaang] come look at this!'_

Nanoha looked up to realize that more people were approaching, and at the same time she noticed that the battlefield was finally starting to settle down. Then she saw the path of absolute devastation left in the new group's wake; dozens of the creatures were dead, in various stages of dissolution.

Running in front was an athletic, buxom blonde teenager clad in a tight leather vest, black shorts, and heavy leather boots. Her hands and forearms were covered in gold plating. Expressive lilac eyes glowed with her good cheer. Nanoha couldn't help but notice that the young woman's long hair was _burning._

Behind her, a petite white-haired girl wearing a pale blue jacket and skirt slid effortlessly across the ground. Ice formed beneath her feet as she skated backwards, obviously keeping an eye out for more of the creatures. Next to her strode a taller, black-haired girl with amber eyes and a black ribbon tied into a bow on her head. Nanoha could see shadowy afterimages trailing her every motion.

Taking up the rear was a towering blonde woman dressed in a white blouse and black skirt, with an ornate purple cape. Slim-framed glasses perched on her nose, and a _riding crop_ was clutched in her right hand. _She really is tall. She's taller than Zafira. Geez._

The younger blonde reached them at that point, almost throwing a hug around the reaper girl's shoulders before seeming to realize that she was _still on fire._

 _Origin Language - Al Hazredi - Speaker Unrecognized_  
' _Hey little sis! How was your flight?'_

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch couldn't help but be satisfied with Team RWBY's performance during the fight. After launching Ruby forward to help the defenders, the four of them had hit the back of the Grimm horde like a thunderbolt. Yang Xiao Long had immolated lesser Grimm with every strike, and Blake Belladonna was able to dance around her targets with abandon, wearing them down with dozens of smaller cuts. Weiss Schnee worked in tandem with Glynda to take out the larger creatures. _Not as precise as I'd prefer, though. This excess of power comes with a lack of fine control. I hope it fades away soon._

On the plus side, with their surprise attack bolstering the defense, the Grimm tide had finally broken. The defenders had taken quick advantage of the sudden hole in the creatures' ranks, and with efficiency only born from years of battlefield experience had mounted a counterattack sufficient to devastate the remaining creatures.

Ahead, Ruby was bouncing energetically around three of the crashed vessel's defenders; a brown-haired woman in a simple dark blue uniform exchanged bemused glances with the blue-haired young man in an intimidating black longcoat. Ruby's attention seemed fixed on the third, and was barely keeping herself from clinging to the girl.

Now that Glynda was closer, she could see that the white-garbed brunette teen was rather obviously injured. A bandage was strapped into place over the entire left side of her face, and the girl's left arm was held in a sling.

Yang had hurried ahead, and lightly punched Ruby in the arm. Good-natured bickering went back and forth between them, which Glynda let herself tune out. When she looked back at the three tired defenders, the young man caught her eye and stepped forward.

"You are the… leader of this team?" His accent was strange, and somewhat halting. Behind him, the uniformed brunette was waving and shouting at someone in the distance.

"I am. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. I was dispatched from Beacon Academy when we became aware of your vessel, to locate any survivors and assess the situation."

"Chrono Harlaown. Your assistance could not have come at a better time." Another figure joined them at that point; a woman in a multi-layered green dress, with a decorative green hat perched on her blonde hair.

The newly arrived woman said something to the injured girl in white, who immediately retorted. An argument started, which Glynda didn't even need to understand to know what was being said. The woman waved her hand, the rings on her fingers flashing, and the girl in white was suddenly lying prone on a floating triangular glyph, restrained by bands of green energy.

Glynda raised an eyebrow. Harlaown glanced over his shoulder at the display, then looked back to meet Glynda's eyes steadily. "Captain Takamachi sometimes needs reminded when to settle down. Shamal is one of our best medics, and is not one to be intimidated by her enthusiasm." Judging from his apparent lack of concern, the display was by no means unique.

"I see. Well then. I'm sorry to cut pleasantries short, but I need to determine the exact situation. Your airship is of a design that I have never seen before. Which nation did you even come from, and why were we not informed that you were going to be traversing Valean airspace?"

Harlaown's eyebrows rose slightly when the word 'airship' passed her lips. He actually glanced over his shoulder at the wreck, and for a moment Glynda thought she caught a vaguely offended expression on his face. "That is… what is the word. Complicated. I do not have sufficient rank to disclose the information you are asking for. Please come with me."

The man turned toward the uniformed brunette, relaying orders in what Glynda had to assume was their native tongue. It was nothing she'd ever heard before, that was certain. The woman saluted, then dashed off, calling out to distant figures. She pursed her lips. "Where are you planning to take me?"

"To speak with the admiral."

Glynda glanced back at Team RWBY, considering. "Ms. Belladonna, with me. The rest of you, keep an eye out for any additional Grimm. Provide assistance to the defenders. If you are questioned, maintain that you are here to help and refer any further inquiries to me. Understood?"

Four voices in unison. "Yes ma'am!" Blake fell into position, shadowing- _Hah.-_ her right side while the others hurried off. Glynda followed behind the man as he strode quickly to an open hatch in the side of the ship.

The inside of the ship was dark, except for red glowing strips running along the upper corners of the bulkheads. Many of the corridors were choked with debris, making the three of them pick their way through sparking equipment. The smell of hot metal was thick in the air.

Eventually the man led them to a large chamber, which Glynda surmised was the interior of the sphere that made the center of the ship. Glynda could see a few crewmen hurrying about, wearing uniforms identical to the brunette's outside. The captain stopped just inside the chamber, clearing his throat. "Admiral Harlaown."

Glynda perked an eyebrow. _Apparently this is a family-run operation._ A woman in a more elaborate version of the standard uniform glanced up from a control console, pushing long, sea-green hair back over her shoulder. "Chrono?"

"Visitors, Admiral. They came to our assistance against the creatures outside." He hadn't reverted back to their native tongue, which Glynda could only assume was for her benefit. "This is Glynda Goodwitch of… Beacon Academy? And her assistant, one..?"

The faunus gave her a quick glance for permission. Glynda nodded. "Blake Belladonna, ma'am."

Admiral Harlaown smiled. "A pleasure to meet you both. I apologize for the mess, but things were a little outside of my control." The woman had the same distinctly odd accent as Chrono, but was much more fluent in her usage.

 _Academic versus conversational fluency, it seems._ "The pleasure is mine, Admiral Harlaown. As the captain said, we are from Beacon Academy. We tracked your airship during its descent. If you would be able to-"

"I'm sorry, _airship?_ "

"Yes? It's of a design that I've never seen before. If you would be willing to tell us which nation you hail from and why you were in Valean airspace without informing us, it would go a long way toward clearing this matter up."

The Admiral gave a small, pinched smile, her eyes locked on the captain. To his credit, he didn't so much as flinch. "Of course you would leave this to me, Chrono."

"Admiral, ma'am. It would be in direct violation of dictated procedures for me to take point in this scenario. You're the ranking officer on board." There wasn't even a hint of a smile on the young man's face, but Glynda knew it in her bones that he was milking this for all it was worth. She kept the grin off her own features, waiting.

"Yes, yes. Of course I can't expect my own son to break proper procedure. Well then, Ms. Goodwitch. We'll move to my office for this. Chrono, please inform Special Investigator Zafira that I require his presence."

"Yes ma'am. In what capacity?"

"What he does best, Chrono."

"Understood." Chrono saluted, then hurried out the door.

Admiral Harlaown let out a breath, then gave Glynda a cheerful, if slightly forced smile. "Well then. If the two of you would come with me?" She led them out of the bridge, taking a slow, almost casual pace through the damaged ship's hallways.

A few minutes of twists and turns later saw them approaching another entry hatch. Blake spoke up, almost shocking Glynda. She'd nearly forgotten the girl was there. "...Admiral, ma'am? Why did you just lead us in a circle? This is the other entrance to your command center."

"Hm, I suppose you're right. My fault, my fault." The admiral made a show of checking her watch. Seconds later, Glynda heard footsteps approaching. "Zafira, thank you for joining us."

Glynda turned to find herself nearly eye-to-eye with a tall, deeply tanned man. A dark, sleeveless longcoat revealed his muscular build, and a pair of large, blue-furred wolf ears stood out obviously against his shock of white hair. "Admiral." His voice matched his frame perfectly, deep and strong.

Admiral Harlaown waved her hand at a small side door, and it parted silently. She led them into the pitch black room, holding up one hand. A tiny ball of white light appeared, illuminating the darkness. A single desk took up the center of the room, a single comfortable seat behind it. Two lightly cushioned chairs sat on the floor in front, and a heavy cabinet took up the far wall.

The admiral opened the cabinet, and a simple gesture floated a half dozen candles through the air to settle on various surfaces throughout the room. A snap of her fingers had them all burning brightly, and she banished the globe of light with another wave of her hand. "Please, sit down. I just need to find the proper procedure book, and then we can get started."

The wolf faunus immediately took his position, standing behind and to the right of the admiral's chair. Glynda took one of the offered seats, and nodded for Blake to take the other. "Get started with what, Admiral? The captain mentioned a scenario, but failed to mention specifically which scenario it was."

Glynda noticed Blake giving the white-haired man a wary glance. The wolf faunus turned a curious eye toward the girl. She saw his nostrils flare twice. One furry blue ear twitched, and his eyes flicked up toward her bow. Blake stiffened in her chair, but the man said nothing.

Admiral Harlaown found the book she was looking for, tugging the thin volume free from its brethren and closing the cabinet. She sat in her chair, dropping the leather-bound tome on her desk with a thud.

She hesitated, letting loose a sigh before glancing up and meeting Glynda's gaze.

"First Contact."

* * *

 _Bzzzzt._

Ozpin glanced up from his desk screen. It was nearly noon, the sun high in the sky over Beacon Academy. He had left messages with his staff that he was not to be disturbed, so it could only be one person calling him. He let it ring a second time, then snapped it up and held it to his ear. There was a series of electronic beeps as the connection encrypted. "Glynda. You have news."

" _Headmaster. I have news. I'm setting you to video call now."_

Goodwitch sounded _shaken_ , which put Ozpin on edge. He set his coffee aside. "Noted."

Ozpin propped the scroll on his desk, letting the screen widen. It resolved into an image of a candlelit office, shadows clinging to the far corners of the room. Sitting on one side of what appeared to be a moderately ornate desk sat Glynda and Blake Belladonna. On the other side, chair turned to face the screen, was a green-haired woman in a blue uniform jacket, with a small collection of triangular markings in the center of her forehead. Behind her chair he could just make out the image of a tall, heavily muscled man, half hidden in the gloom.

The woman spoke first, a strange accent to her words. " _You are Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy? I am Admiral Lindy Harlaown of the Time Space Administrative Bureau."_

Ozpin folded his hands on the desk, fighting the urge to grab his mug. "A pleasure. I must admit I have never heard of your organization before. This surprises me, you understand."

" _Deputy Headmistress Goodwitch has informed me that the best thing to do here is to tell things to you straight. I agree, as I don't want to cause any misconceptions."_ The woman paused, consulting an open book in front of her, then met his eyes again. " _In as simple words as I can muster, I am informing you that we are not native to the planet Remnant."_

Of all things, _that_ was not what he was expecting. No wonder Glynda was spooked. "Please continue."

" _My ship, the dimensional cruiser_ Arthra, _crash landed in your Emerald Forest due to damage received during combat in your star system. According to my engineering crew, the_ Arthra _is no longer flightworthy, let alone spaceworthy. We are stranded on your planet with no method by which to call for help, and I am opening official communications with you in a request for asylum and aid."_

Ozpin's first instinct was to call the whole thing a ruse, but he knew better. Glynda was too experienced, too skilled, and too cynical to be fooled. More importantly, she sounded _scared_. In the decades of their association, both personal and professional, Ozpin had seen Glynda express many emotions. Disappointment, anger, amusement, annoyance… but never _fear._ That more than anything else convinced him that this Lindy Harlaown was no fake. "Firstly, do you require medical assistance?"

" _My crew have suffered injuries, both in the crash landing and in the assault of the… Grimm, as Ms. Goodwitch called them, but my medical personnel have the situation under control. What I need from you is secrecy, Headmaster. I need your assistance in hiding the_ Arthra _. I need your assistance in providing shelter for my crew. Ms. Goodwitch has told me of your roles in Remnant, and that one of your most primary concerns is stability."_

"Your ship travels the stars. Such technology would become an overwhelmingly destabilizing power if it fell into the wrong hands." _James._ Ozpin forced his hands to remain still, but he could feel the muscles in his weak leg trembling.

" _You understand then, Headmaster. By our classifications, your planet is not ready for visitors from beyond the stars. Public knowledge of our existence would cause massive sociological upheaval, potentially providing the spark for full scale war. We've seen it happen before, and I do not want to be the cause of such loss of life. It is against everything that the Bureau stands for."_

"I am… forced to agree with you, Admiral Harlaown. I will do everything in my power to provide you with the assistance you require." Ozpin's will finally broke, and he freed one hand to take a sip of his coffee, letting the taste settle his nerves. "Please understand that I am extending this offer of aid to you without reservations. But, it would be a dereliction of my own duties to refrain from asking; what are you willing to offer us in return?"

The admiral actually smiled a little, relief smoothing out the hard cast of her features. " _On the assumption that you are neither a tyrant nor a violator of sophont rights, and please understand that I am in no way making such accusations, we would be more than happy to assist you in various bureaucratic endeavors using our… sufficiently advanced technology. The_ Arthra's _crew is cross-trained for many different situations."_

"Elaborate, I urge you."

" _The_ Arthra _filled a primarily investigative role within the TSAB, tasked with tracking down wide-scale violations of sophont life, wide-scale dangers to sophont life, and uncontrollable ancient devices requiring containment. The battle that resulted in our landing on Remnant was due to one such danger."_ The admiral glanced at Glynda, then continued. " _Beacon Academy is a primary training facility for exceptionally powerful agents whose role in your world is to ostensibly protect the innocent from the dangers Remnant forces upon them. My crew serves much the same role. I must admit that the free-agent nature of your students upon graduation does cause me some concern. Power without accountability is dangerous on any world."_

Ozpin let the silence hang for a moment, carefully picking his words. "You are correct, Admiral. I cannot say that I have control over those who leave the walls of my academy after graduation. But before you jump to any conclusions, you must be made aware of a fact of life on Remnant. Fear, anger, hatred… negative emotions attract the Grimm. On a personal, regional, and even continental scale, the Grimm flock to such emotions. Human nature can be… noble, or petty, and a mass of organized huntsmen will likely draw exactly the range of emotions you can expect when on public display. Graduate huntsmen operate without further supervision because alone and in small groups they are _not perceived as a threat_. But mark my words, each graduate from my academy is a force to be reckoned with, both in power and in perspective. To fail at either is to fail to earn the title and the responsibilities that go with it."

" _You place a lot of faith in your students, Headmaster."_ The woman gave another small smile, and behind her the man rumbled an acknowledgement.

"I would have no right to sit in this chair if I didn't, Admiral." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, locking eyes with Glynda. The blonde met his gaze, then sighed and rolled her eyes, but some of the tension visibly left her. "This is what I would like to offer you. We will help you hide the _Arthra_ and keep it safe. In return, I am willing to 'enroll' some of your crew in my academy, to live amongst us and watch us as we learn and train, to answer your questions and assuage your concerns. If we are not found wanting, I am certain there are matters which we could use your assistance in. Is this acceptable to you?"

The admiral raised one eyebrow. She glanced over her shoulder at the man, who simply shrugged and deigned not to comment, then looked back at Ozpin. " _Does your academy have… uniforms?"_

Ozpin blinked, nonplussed. "It does."

The woman's face spread into a wide grin. " _Then I accept your offer. I hope that this will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship, Headmaster."_


	4. Chapter 4

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 04 - Decommissioning

The sun shone brightly in the center of the cloudless blue sky, bathing the _Arthra's_ resting place in its warm glow. The last flow of creatures had stopped well over an hour earlier, and many of the crashed ship's crew were finally taking the chance to sit down and rest, congregating into the usual groups they associated with.

The three members of Team RWBY sat on a fallen tree, left at loose ends. Their semblances had finally settled down just after the last Grimm fell, which had led to an embarrassing moment or two for Ruby. Still trying to speak slowly for her teammates' benefit, she had ended up sounding like she was doing one of Nora's sloth impressions.

No one really seemed to feel like talking. The badly injured rested on a line of bedrolls in the shade of the crashed ship's hull, and their presence cast a downer on Ruby's mood. She watched in silence as the blonde woman in green worked her way down the line, along with a young man with a blonde ponytail.

"OY." A shout caught her attention, and she looked to the side to see the tiny girl that had killed the deathstalker earlier approaching them. The girl was wearing a red, knee length dress with a wide skirt, with a vest and shoulder-jacket over top, all trimmed with black lace. A circular hat of the same colors was perched on her red hair, which was styled into a pair of thick braids that hung nearly to her waist. She also couldn't have been more than ten years old.

"Yeah, you. Red. You're the one that saved Nanoha, right?" Her accent was different than the blue-haired man's had been. Rougher, with more emphasis on hard consonants.

"I… maybe? Do you mean the girl in white?" Ruby pointed toward the line of injured, where the brown-haired girl was grumpily allowing herself to be fussed over by one of the medics. Ruby was having a little trouble really comprehending the way the child was acting. Her nonchalance, her stride, the silver-headed war mallet she carried casually in one hand; everything about her screamed 'hardened warrior.' Ruby had seen her flatten a deathstalker with but a few blows of her mallet.

But there were _stuffed bunny doll heads_ on the sides of her hat.

"Yeah, her." The little girl crossed her arms, her blue eyes nearly glowing and a frown on her face. "One of those elephant things had me pinned against the side of the ship, and I was stuck dealing with it when she was in trouble. I… look, kid. I owe ya one, for saving her. I probably wouldn't have made it to her in time."

"Don't worry about it, really! Weiss sped me up, and then she and Blake launched me over the battle so I could see everything and when I looked down from up there she looked like she was in the most trouble, so…" Ruby shrugged. "I'm glad we made it in time."

"Weiss. You, I take it." The little girl looked at Ruby's partner and received a nod, and then her gaze flicked to Ruby's sister. "Which would make you Blake, right?"

"Nope! I'm Yang, Ruby's big sis. Blake's inside with our teacher. Who're you?"

"Name's Vita."

Ruby rocked from side to side, feet kicking back and forth. "Nice to meet you! Are you a huntress, Vita?"

"What? No, _baka._ I'm a knight."

Another figure joined them, taller and wearing a pale pink shoulder coat and faulded skirt over a magenta tunic a shade darker than her lengthy, ponytailed hair. There was a long sword in a scabbard on her left hip. Plated boots covered her feet, and segmented forearm guards ended in black fingerless gloves. She was of middling height, shorter than Yang but taller than Ruby. "Vita. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."

"Geez, Signum. We're just talking." The little redhead crossed her arms, letting out a huff of irritation.

"I know. Hayate-sama is looking for you, by the way. She's toward the stern."

"WHAT? Why didn't you say so! 'Scuse me kids, gotta go!" The little knight took off at a run, one hand holding her hat to her head.

Ruby and the others watched her go, blinking. Yang scratched her head. "She seems like a handful."

"Mm. You have no idea." The woman, Signum apparently, gave them all a quick glance before turning her gaze over the distant treeline.

Weiss looked up from polishing _Myrtenaster_. "Are you a knight too, ma'am?"

"I am."

"What are a group of knights doing out here in Vale's wilds? Is your liege lord on the ship?"

"I am afraid that I am not at liberty to answer your questions." There was no hint of emotion in the woman's voice, as calm and collected as if she were discussing the weather. "Your teacher is still speaking with the admiral. We will have to wait until they are finished before we can be told what we are allowed to discuss."

Weiss made a face but said nothing more. Ruby leaned forward a little, trying to get a better look at the woman's sword. The weapon's blade had to be almost three feet long, and the grip was more than large enough for two hands. At the base of the blade on one side there was what seemed to be a release vent of some form; blue metal perforated with large holes. She tilted a little to the side, then realized the woman was staring at her again.

"Is there something you need?"

"Oh, uhm. I was just, uhm. I have to admit I'm something of a weapons nut, just ask Yang, and… uhm… I was wondering if maybe I could see your sword? I'll show you Crescent Rose!" Ruby pulled the scythe's compact form out from behind her back, holding it out entreatingly. Weiss rolled her eyes, and Yang laughed, stretching out on her portion of the fallen trunk.

The faintest twitch pulled at the corners of the woman's lips. "I… suppose there is nothing wrong with that. You first, young one."

"Okay! My name's Ruby, by the way! Vita said you're Signum, right?" Ruby hopped up to her feet, standing tall on the log. She extended _Crescent Rose's_ stock, waiting to make sure that Signum was paying attention before deploying the scythe blade.

Signum's eyebrows rose fractionally. "It is a gun and a scythe both?"

"Mm-hmm! I designed and built her myself!" Ruby flipped the scythe around, burying the blade in the trunk of the tree, then walked down the shaft until she was eye-level with Signum. "Okay, show me yours! What's her name? She's a her, right?"

Signum laughed softly, shaking her head and taking a step back. "No. If I had to give my device a gender, I believe _Laevatein_ would be a he." She drew it with a small flourish, spinning it deftly in one hand before laying the single-edged blade across her open palm.

"Oooo. Is he a gun, too?"

"He is not."

"So you appreciate the classics! One of my friends back at Beacon is the same. Sword and shield. The shield's collapsible for easier carrying. Still weighs the same though." Ruby let herself examine _Laevatein_ for a moment longer, then tucked back into a roll up _Crescent Rose's_ shaft. She tugged the scythe out of the tree and collapsed it down. "Thanks, Ms. Signum!"

"Mm." Signum looked at the three of them for a long moment, then glanced up at the sun. "Have the three of you eaten yet?"

"Just some… cookies. Before we left Beacon." Ruby ducked her head.

"You dolt. You should have grabbed something more substantial like the rest of us did."

"Weiii~iiisss!"

"She does have a point, sis. But it's been like, six hours since we've eaten anything now, and we did spend some time kicking a lot of Grimm butt, so… yeah, I'll admit it, I'm not proud! I'm hungry, howbout you two?"

Weiss sighed. "When you put it _that_ way, yes Yang. I could stand to eat something as well."

Signum nodded. "The mess officer is passing out MREs. I will bring some over." The knight walked off, returning a few moments later with a stack of plastic-wrapped packages in her hands and some bottles of water. "Here you are."

Ruby took the package given to her, turning it over in her hand. Blocky letters in that same strange language "What does MRE mean?"

"Meal Ready to Eat. Known amongst the rank and file as three lies in one." Signum perked an eyebrow, watching their faces.

Weiss was holding her MRE by one corner of the plastic wrap, her scarred eye narrowed in suspicion. "Why do they call it that?"

"Because according to many, it is not a meal, it is not ready, and you can't eat it." Signum gave a small smile, and Ruby couldn't help but giggle. "Observe. I will show you how to prepare it, and you can decide for yourselves if it is, in fact, edible."

The next few minutes passed quietly as Signum walked them through opening the packages, separating out the ingredients, and using the water in the bottle to heat it with a simple chemical reaction. Before long, Ruby had the tray balanced on her knees, a plastic fork gripped in her fingers. "Uhm. What did you guys get?"

"Mashed potatoes and gravy." Weiss poked at the off-white mess with her spoon.

"Sirloin Steak. Looks like it was pressed and formed before it was dehydrated." Yang had speared a piece of hers on her fork, and was staring at it apprehensively.

"I think I got beef strogonov."

Signum was already eating, leaning against the end of the tree trunk. "Broccoli and cheese omelet. You three are lucky."

"At least there are cookies, right? Right?" Ruby held up the single, packaged chocolate chip cookie, grinning. "Are you guys gonna eat yours? Can I have 'em?"

Two more packaged cookies landed in her lap. Ruby cheered, tearing one out of its wrapper and popping it into her mouth.

All of the moisture in her mouth _vanished_ , sucked into the bone-dry cookie. Ruby choked, eyes watering, forcing herself to chew. A rock-hard chocolate chip shattered between her teeth. She made herself swallow, scrabbling for her bottled water and almost dropping it in her haste to wash the dryness from her mouth.

"...Ruby? Sis? How was it?"

"IT LOOKED LIKE A COOKIE BUT IT WAS MADE OF LIES AND PAIN."

* * *

Yuuno glanced up at the mid-afternoon sun while he climbed over a tangle of trees and debris from the _Arthra_. He'd broken away from the rest of the crew a little after lunch, feeling a rare need for solitude. Cataloguing the damage wasn't going to do itself, so he figured he could get started on that.

Picking his way down a muddy slope, Yuuno examined the twisted mass of machinery at the bottom. After a quick scan to make sure it wasn't emitting any harmful energies, he pried open a bent access panel. A few moments of searching gave him a slew of serial numbers, which he dutifully copied into a datapad. Then he closed the panel, scrawled his initials on the panel with a wide marker, and walked around the piece of wreckage to find the next.

An hour passed in silence, other than exchanging words with some of the _Arthra's_ engineers who had come out to do the same thing. A dozen examples of dimensional tech-turned-scrap now sported his initials.

"Hi!"

He looked up to meet the inquisitive gaze of the girl in the red cloak. She was perched on a boulder sunk halfway into the mud.

"Ah, hello. You're…?"

"Ruby Rose! I'm the leader of Team RWBY, and we're out here with Professor Goodwitch. Well, she's inside your ship with Blake talking to the admiral, so Yang and Weiss and I are out here waiting. It's boring. And I saw you out here and you look a little different than most of the others and different is interesting so… what's your name? What are you doing?"

"Yuuno Scrya. I'm helping the engineering crew catalogue the debris."

"Oh. Because you want to fix your ship, and you can't fix your ship if you don't know what all's actually missing, right?" Ruby stood up, looking around at the wreckage scattered throughout the artificial ravine. "Tall order."

"We're aware, believe me." Yuuno picked his way around to the next piece of the _Arthra_ , but paused when something nearby caught his eye. Revealed when the _Arthra_ tore across the ground, obviously worked stone lay in a damaged foundation. He made his way over, running his fingertips over the squared stone, feeling the deep grooves that had been cut into it. "Interesting."

"What is?"

"This." Now that he knew to look for it, Yuuno could see signs of human workmanship all throughout the area. The rubble of dozens of structures, buried for so long under the living forest, finally exposed to daylight. "It looks like there used to be a community here, a long time ago."

"Oh, that? Yeah, probably. There are hundreds of ancient ruins in the Emerald Forest alone. You can probably spit and accidentally hit one."

The complete nonchalance with which Ruby spoke about the remains of ancient civilization struck him hard. "That's depressing."

"Why?"

"I'm an archaeologist, Ms. Rose. Learning about the past, uncovering the secrets of ancient cultures? I've been doing it for ten years."

"Ten years? You can't be any older than Yang."

"It's the family business."

The girl paused, then nodded. "Okay, I can understand that. I guess that could be cool? But if you learn how to do that, you're not learning to defend yourself. Which means you'd need hired protectors out beyond the walls."

Yuuno looked around, then ran his fingers across another of the deep grooves. Some of them were obviously made by tools, but others very much resembled claw marks. "Because of the Grimm."

"Yup. How much does an archaeologist make, anyways?"

"Freelance?" He tipped his head, thinking. Working for the Bureau, he actually had a competitive salary, and Yuuno held a fairly important position within the Infinity Library. He knew that the Chief Librarian was planning on retiring within the next year or so, and that the short list for successors included his own name. But before working in the library, he had been on his own, like most members of the Scrya Clan. "Not enough to hire protectors."

Yuuno took one more look around, keeping the wistful sigh to his thoughts alone. _The_ Arthra's _not going anywhere. There will be time enough to look around._ Giving his head a shake, he made his way to the next piece of debris. "Excuse me, Ms. Rose, but I do need to get back to this."

* * *

"Then that, I believe, covers the biggest problems. Your lifting craft will be here tomorrow morning?"

" _That is correct, Admiral. Again, the crews will not be informed of the nature of the situation, and instead will be told the cover story we have decided on."_ On the screen, the headmaster took another sip of his coffee.

"Very good then. Thank you, Headmaster, for your understanding. If you will excuse me, I need to get the _Arthra_ prepped for zero-energy drydock."

" _By all means. I will speak with you soon, Admiral."_ The scroll's screen went blank, and after a moment, Glynda reached over to retrieve it. Lindy stood, rubbing her eyes. "Zafira, what time is it?"

"Fifteen thirty shipboard time, ma'am."

"That didn't take as long as I had feared, then. Deputy Headmaster Goodwitch, Ms. Belladonna. Tea?" Lindy opened her cabinet, slipping her copy of _First Contact Doctrines_ back into place.

The teacher and student exchanged glances. Goodwitch answered for both of them. "If you feel we have time, Admiral."

"There should always be time for tea, if you ask me. It's a cruel universe that denies it" Lindy grabbed four cups, gesturing for Zafira to sit as well. The Belkan Guardian Beast released a fold-out chair from its bracket against the wall and joined her.

Tea passed in relative silence, a few minutes of absolute bliss during which Lindy let herself think about _anything other than the current situation_. It was over all too soon, though, and Lindy led the group of them back through the _Arthra's_ darkened corridors.

When the outer airlock door opened, Lindy had to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. Goodwitch went to find her students, while Lindy caught Chrono's attention. "Captain, could you collect everyone together? Thank you."

It only took a few more minutes, and eventually all fifty members of the _Arthra's_ crew were gathered around. "Everyone. Thank you all for your efforts today. I'm sure you all want to know what is going on. Simply put, the _Arthra_ is grounded and is no longer capable of maneuvering under her own power. Local interference is preventing us from sending a message home for help, and that same local interference is preventing our dimensional transfer specialists," she nodded to Fate and the Wolkenritter, "from teleporting out of the system. For the time being, we are stranded here."

There was no audible reaction, but she could see a few people slump, a couple of hands tighten into fists before releasing. Everyone knew how bad the damage was, but she couldn't blame them for hoping they had been wrong. "That is the bad news. The good news is that the individuals who came to our assistance against the creatures of this world are willing to offer us shelter and protection while we determine how we can contact the TSAB. Tomorrow morning, the _Arthra_ will be airlifted to a secure location. Engineering crew?"

The _Arthra's_ chief engineer stepped forward; a tall, heavily built man with short black hair and a beard. "Ma'am."

"Prep the _Arthra_ for zero-energy drydock. Discharge capacitors and jettison the remaining machinery pockets. It'll all have to be carried separately. Begin immediately."

"Yes, ma'am!" The man turned, relaying orders to the rest of the ship's engineers. They immediately broke from the group, moving back into the ship.

Lindy nodded, then continued. "Mage Team Beta. Support and assist the engineering team when needed. Support and command deck crews, do the same. Mage Team Alpha, Captain Harlaown, Mr. Scrya, and Arf? Amy? Come with me, please."

She stepped off to the side. Chrono joined her, along with Hayate and most of the _Wolkenritter_. A moment later, Shamal brought Nanoha. The ace was stubbornly walking on her own two feet, but was accepting Amy's aid in standing. Yuuno and Arf rounded out the group.

Lindy clapped her hands together, letting some of the professionalism fall away. Everyone here was a close friend or family, after all these years. "So! You're all probably wondering why I have you here, yes?"

"One question that has filtered through my mind many times over the years, Admiral."

Lindy shot a glare at her son, but couldn't help but smile. "Not entirely uncalled for, but that's beside the point. I've spent the last three hours in talks with the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, which is apparently a collegiate training academy for the best fighters this world has to offer. Ms. Goodwitch and her students are from this academy. Headmaster Ozpin has graciously invited a select number of us to observe and attend his academy's classes, in the interests of furthering our understanding of Remnant."

Fate raised her hand. "Remnant?"

Lindy gave her adopted daughter a nod. "The name of this world, Fate."

"Ah."

"Wait. You're sending us to a _school?"_ Hayate scratched her head.

"That's pretty much the plan, yes."

"Do they have _uniforms?"_

"Yes, yes they do."

"Are they _cute?"  
_  
"I can only assume."

Hayate thrust her fists into the air, letting out a noise that was a cross between a shriek of absolute glee and an over-stressed balloon deflating. Vita facepalmed, and Signum pinched the bridge of her nose.

Lindy grinned. "Beacon academy students are housed and trained in squads of four. We'll be abiding by that rule, among several other criteria involved."

There were a few nods from around the group. Hayate, Nanoha, and Fate all smiled, and the _Wolkenritter_ traded few minimal, knowing glances. Chrono rubbed his chin, then stopped and looked up. "Wait a minute."

"Yes, Chrono?"

"You said teams of four, but you called eleven of us up. That doesn't add- No." A look of dawning horror crossed his face. "Admiral, please tell me you're not thinking about _attending._ You're _thirty-nine years old."_

Lindy rolled her eyes. "Do you know how many people in the last two years have told me that ever since you finished growing up, the two of us could pass for siblings?"

Chrono swore, turning away. _Ooo. He's angry. I'll have to figure out a way to make it up to him later._ "To continue; the next two weeks are going to be spent crash-coursing in Remnant culture and history. For those of you not conversationally fluent in classic Al-Hazredi, you'll be going through language immersion training during that time. Fate, Chrono, you two are already familiar with the quick-study methods involved due to undercover missions as enforcers. Please help the others when they need it."

"Yes, mother." Fate at least seemed to be in a good mood, and she reached sideways to give Chrono's shoulder a pat. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

"As far as our cover story, Headmaster Ozpin was kind enough to put together one with a little bit of truth in it. During Remnant's last great war, roughly eighty years ago, a group of refugees tried to escape the conflict on a ship named the _Stairway to Heaven_." Hayate giggled, and Nanoha let out a snort of amusement, quickly covered up with a pained cough. Fate and Signum exchanged pained glances. Lindy stared at them all for a moment, then continued. "It vanished, never to be seen again. No records detailing what the _Stairway to Heaven_ actually looked like remain. Our story is that we are those refugees' descendents, who finally repaired the ship our ancestors used to flee, and used it to come back home."

Yuuno seemed particularly interested in that tidbit of information. He shared a glance with Arf, who rolled her eyes before trapping the shorter man in a headlock and giving him a quick noogie. "We'll do a little extra reading up on that ourselves, Lindy." The familiar gave her a fangy grin and a thumbs up after she let the librarian go.

"Good. Lastly, we're going to be trying to fit in with the locals. That means no magic unless you are unable to escape from a life-threatening situation without it. We'll be learning about the local technology, and training in the local styles. And yes, I'm sure it is rather obvious to all of you that we more than likely _will_ be exposed to life-threatening situations sooner rather than later, given the nature of this world. _Please_ use discretion when that time comes. Does everyone understand?"

A chorus of affirmatives from everyone. Lindy nodded again and smiled. "Good. While we're learning about the local conditions, the _Arthra's_ technical teams will be trying to find a means to get past the mana field. So you won't need to worry about _that_ problem, at least. I'll keep you all updated on developments in that area as they come in."

* * *

Glynda beckoned the rest of Team RWBY to her as she put a little distance between herself and the crashed _spaceship._ "Girls. Thank you for your patience, the meeting with Admiral Harlaown took longer than I had expected going in. We ended up having to conference call with the headmaster."

The other three looked at Blake in some concern. The faunus girl's eyes were still a little wide and staring, and Glynda couldn't exactly blame her. Ruby raised a hand. "What happened in there? Blake looks like someone just told her all her books were full of blank pages."

"It's not an airship." The girl's golden eyes flicked between her teammates.

"Whaddaya mean, Blake?"

"Girls. Everything, _everything_ you see and hear regarding this vessel and its crew is classified. Consider this to be a mission with no defined end point." Ruby, Weiss, and Yang nodded, and Glynda continued. "This ship, named the _Arthra_ , was not built on Remnant. It travels the stars using technology of which we have never seen nor heard the like, built by a… government that spans dozens of different planets."

"Haha, ha. Good one, Professor. What is it really?" Yang's grin slowly faded, her gaze flicking between Glynda and the ship behind her. "You _are_ kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." Her grin faded completely. "You're totally not kidding."

There was a shout from one of the ship's crew. Looking over, Glynda could see that a portion of the _Arthra's_ exterior hull had been marked, and a set of markers cordoned off a wide swath of ground. Several other crewmen yelled something in reply, motioning, and a moment later there was a bright, almost blinding flash of light. When there eyes cleared, a convoluted mass of machinery was sitting on the ground. The work crews moved onto the next section of hull, while a second team started scanning the massive devices with handheld readers.

She looked back at Yang. The girl's hair had caught on fire again, and she could see rose petals swirling around Ruby's feet. After a moment, the girls' semblances faded away. "I'm not kidding, Ms. Xiao Long."

Ruby, meanwhile, had her hands pressed to her mouth. " _Ohmydust_ that is the coolest thing I've seen all _week_. Did you see that? There was nothing there and then just _bam_ , it all just appeared! I wonder how it works!"

"Magic." The faunus girl's deadpan tone still wasn't quite back to normal.

"Haha, Blake. Very funny."

"Ms. Belladonna is serious."

"What." The same word from three mouths.

"Believe me, girls, when I say that I never expected to have this particular conversation with you four. But it is magic; magic so advanced that it has become their science and technology. The admiral proved this to me to my satisfaction." Glynda caught their eyes, waiting until she was sure she had their full attention. "I'm telling you this because Team RWBY is going to be instrumental in _keeping this a secret._ Because you four are already involved, you are going to be one of our main points of contact with the _Arthra's_ crew. Headmaster Ozpin decided that he would much rather trust the four of you with this responsibility, than bring yet more people in on this extremely volatile situation. I am in agreement with him."

"Y-yes ma'am. We won't let you down, ma'am! Team leader's honor!" Ruby snapped to something resembling attention.

"I'm… willing to believe that, Ms. Rose. Thank you." Footsteps caught Glynda's ear, and she turned to see one of the ship's crew approaching.

The young man said something incomprehensible, but then a digitized voice emerged from the datapad he was holding. "Ma'ams. Please follow me. The crews are about to discharge one of the remaining secondary batteries, and this zone is a little too close to the firing angle."

"Thank you. Lead the way." Glynda followed the man, motioning for the team to keep up with her.

Ruby darted in front. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes?"

"You said _remaining_ secondary batteries. Are those the guns that fired during your fight with the Grimm earlier before we arrived? We were still miles away and we felt the shocks!"

The man had to pause for a moment as he read his own device's projected translation. "...Oh! Yes, we did fire two secondaries earlier."

"Whoa… what are the _primaries_ like?"

"We don't fire the primaries while on a planet. Or at a planet."

"Whooooaaaa…"


	5. Chapter 5

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 5 - The Burdens of Command

The transfer of the _Arthra_ to a secure location in Vale took the entirety of two days work. Another half as long and several times more massive than the larger transport craft Ozpin had at his disposal, it took four of the ships together to lift the stricken craft from its resting place in the forest. A small fleet of bullheads collected the disturbingly large amount of internal machinery that had been jettisoned from the ship's hull.

"Wait a minute," Weiss had mentioned after realizing just how much equipment there was. "How did you fit all of that inside that ship? There's more out here than there is room in there!"

"The _Arthra_ uses dimensional pockets to contain all of the working parts of its various peripherals," Yuuno had answered. "It's standard tech, really. The only things that actually, uhm… 'poke out' of dimensional storage are the business ends and the control interfaces."

"You're telling me that the _Arthra_ is bigger on the inside?"

"Not at all. It's smaller on the outside." The young man had sounded as serious as he could be.

"What."

Weiss had stared at him, eye twitching. Yuuno had shrugged in return. "There's a difference between the two, but it takes a degree to really understand it. You'd have to ask one of the engineers."

The _Arthra_ was too large to rest in a standard hanger. An unused construction hanger had been cordoned off, and the giant ship now rested in a modified cradle, with its various peripheral systems stacked along the hanger's walls. The engineering crew worked their way through its resting hulk, securing the last few systems that remained operational.

Lindy sipped the last of her tea, then rested the small cup on its matching saucer, setting them down on her desk. She shouldered her standard-issue kit bag, replaced the book she had been reading in her cabin, and stepped out into the corridor.

She took one last look at her office. A wave of her hand snuffed out the candles on her desk, and she slid the door shut.

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch stood at the front of a small side room in the hanger. A blackboard had been fixed to the wall behind her, a desk and chair sat ready for her, and sixteen student desks were arranged in four groups of four. "You all know why you're here, so I'll get to business. Admiral, captains, aides, and… _Wolkenritter_ ," Glynda took the extra moment to make sure she pronounced the unfamiliar word correctly. "Today we begin your Remnant Culture Integration Course. With Headmaster Ozpin's assistance, we have condensed what would normally be approximately three years' worth of social studies and history into a two week period. It should, by the time we are finished, allow you to function in society at the approximate level of _backwoods colonial._ "

"This is not a _bad_ thing. Given what I am led to understand of your various, _safer,_ worlds, to be a successful _backwoods colonial_ on Remnant is a somewhat more respectful epithet than you may realize. It means that you live beyond the safety of the walls, where Grimm attacks are not only commonplace but absolutely expected, and you have survived. You would not have been raised in an environment privy to casual pop culture. You would have had bigger things to worry about. This will allay some suspicion when it comes to your lack of familiarity with some colloquial aspects of life in Vale."

Glynda flicked out her crop, pointing as she named her students. "Zafira Yagami. Signum Yagami. Chrono Harlaown. You three will form a team for the purposes of this two week course. Ruby Rose will be your teacher's aide."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Ruby almost knocked over her desk, then glanced sheepishly at her new charges. Chrono covered his face with one hand. Signum and Zafira could have been made from stone.

 _It'll be good for her._ "Weiss Schnee. You will be assisting Hayate Yagami, Arf Harlaown, and Amy Harlaown."

"Ma'am. I'll do my best." Weiss gave a sharp nod to her group.

"Blake Belladonna." Glynda consulted her scroll, then nodded. "Work with Nanoha Takamachi, Shamal Yagami, and Yuuno Scrya." The faunus girl nodded, saying nothing.

"Lastly, Yang Xiao Long. You will have Vita Yagami, Fate T. Harlaown, and Lindy Harlaown."

"You got it, Prof!"

"Good. Please sit in your assigned groups, and open _A Brief History of Remnant_ to page thirteen."

* * *

"And that concludes our discussion of the origin and mechanics of Aura. Please close your books so we can move on with the lesson plan."

"Professor? A question, please?"

Glynda nodded. "Go ahead, Mr. Scrya."

"Aura is a very important facet of survival in Remnant. Are we going to be unlocking our auras before we transfer to Beacon proper?"

"You are. In fact, that is what we were going to do right now. I just need a volunteer."

"DIBS!"

Every head in the room turned to look at the source of the exclamation. Amy was on her feet, chair tipped over behind her and leaning forward with one hand on her desk, the other raised as high as she could reach. "What? Accelerated healing and immunity to paper cuts? It's worth it just for that, let alone everything else!"

"Amy, are you sure?" Chrono's concern was evident in his voice.

"Someone's gotta go first, right? I'm not a mage, so I'll be a good baseline for Yuuno and Shamal to measure. It's completely safe, right Professor Goodwitch?"

"It is. Well then, come to the front of the room. Team RWBY, pay close attention. Unlocking aura is a tiring process, so I will be having you assist me throughout the day."

Amy nearly skipped to the front of the room, smoothing imaginary creases from her uniform shirt. "Okay! What do I need to do?" Behind her, Shamal stood. The gemstones in her rings extended on delicate golden strands, carving a window of nothing in the air. Yuuno stood at her shoulder, watching the ghostly display.

"Close your eyes and concentrate. Relax, calm your mind, and focus on my words." Glynda placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. It actually took her a short moment to remember the ancient intonation; it had been years since the last time she'd helped someone unlock their aura.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." Glynda felt exhaustion tug at her very core, but shook it off. Amy took a sharp breath, and the faint, sky-blue glow of her aura illuminated the room for a moment before fading.

" _Klarer Wind_ is picking up a linker core reaction. Right there, see?" The blonde woman's tone was hushed, but easy to hear in the silence of the room.

"That shouldn't be possible. Amy's a null, her linker core is E-rank."

"Possible or not, her linker core is active. This is amazing." Shamal looked away from the cloudy, circular window in the air, right at Glynda. "Professor Goodwitch, you've said that _everyone_ on Remnant has an aura that can be unlocked, yes?"

"That is correct. Typically only those who plan to fight will do so, however. There are many civilians who go through their lives without partaking in the ritual."

Shamal traded a glance with the other _Wolkenritter._ They all had the same expression on their faces; grim relief. After a moment, Hayate's faced mirrored it as the girl came to the same understanding.

Yuuno looked up. "Fate, could you activate Bardiche, please? I want to check something."

Fate nodded, getting out of her chair. "Bardiche. Set up."

The yellow plate held in her hand glimmered. " _Get set."_ There was a flash of golden light, and then she was holding the silver-and-black polearm Glynda had seen her with before.

"He can _talk?!_ Nobody told me they could talk!" Ruby had her hands up to her mouth, eyes wide. "Signum! Can _Laevatein_ talk?! Where is he?!"

Signum arched an eyebrow. The sword-shaped pendant around her neck let out a mote of light. " _Jawohl."_

 _"That's amazingeeeeeeee!"_

Weiss reached over and smacked Ruby on the back of the head. "Stoppit, you dunce."

"Sorry!"

Glynda kept the smile off her face while Shamal and Yuuno continued to discuss in hushed tones. "Did you see it?" The young librarian was almost bouncing on his feet. "Her linker core reacted to Bardiche activating in nearly the exact same way!"

After a moment, Yuuno looked up. "Professor, how often can you do this?"

"I would want a few minutes before unlocking another, to be honest. Ms. Schnee, you have a level of formal Aura training, correct?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. You will unlock the next volunteer with my guidance. Who would like to be next?"

The blonde librarian stepped away from Shamal. "I will."

"Very good. Mr. Scrya, Ms. Schnee? Come to the front of the room. Amy, please take your seat."

* * *

"Headmaster. A pleasure to meet you in person, finally. What brings you to our little slice of insanity?"

"Admiral. I have no pressing meetings for the afternoon, so I decided it would be a good time to finally meet you and yours. Classes are over for the day, yes?"

"Lindy, please. Professor Goodwitch set quite the demanding schedule. It's been twenty years since I attended command school, and this is bringing the memories back quite sharply." Lindy gestured for Ozpin to take a seat at the room's coffee table. "Headmaster Ozpin, I would like to introduce you to Captain Nanoha Takamachi, TSAB Air Armaments Service."

The brunette was dressed in an immaculate blue and white uniform, shoulder-length hair gathered into a side ponytail. She couldn't have been any taller than Ruby Rose. Ozpin could see no traces of the serious injuries that the girl had sustained, and could only assume that the activation of her Aura had gone smoothly. "Pleasure to meet you, Headmaster. I look forward to attending your academy." Her words were slightly halting, as if she had to spend just a little too long thinking about them to be perfectly fluent.

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Takamachi. I will be watching you and your companions' performances with interest."

"Would you like some tea, Headmaster?"

"I would. Thank you."

"Captain, if you would?" The brunette nodded, pouring hot water and mixing in a generous helping of finely-ground powder into a bowl. For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the gentle sloshing and scraping of a whisk made from some form of plant stalk against the bowl.

"Nanoha comes from a culture that excels at making the type of tea I prefer. Having her onboard the _Arthra_ was a blessing in more ways than just her combat ability and tactical acumen." Lindy gave the young captain a smile, and the brunette gave a twitchy smile in return. Ozpin tilted his head. _Interesting. She's uncomfortable about something that's happening- No. She's uncomfortable about something that's about to happen._

Nanoha poured the rather thick tea into two separate cups, setting one in front of Lindy and the other in front of Ozpin. Lindy poured a generous amount of milk from a ceramic carafe into her cup, followed by four cubes of sugar. Ozpin could see Takamachi's left eye and cheek twitch with each wet 'plonk' of sugar into the admiral's cup.

Lindy offered the tea and sugar to Ozpin, to which he politely declined. "I prefer my drinks straight. I do thank you, though."

She nodded, giving her tea a slow mix with a silver spoon. Lindy took a small sip, letting out a happy smile, before nodding to the girl. "Thank you, Nanoha. I won't keep you here any longer."

The captain sketched a quick salute and left so quickly Ozpin half wondered if he should be looking for rose petals. He took a sip of his own tea. "You realize that you were almost causing her physical pain by, hm… _accenting_ the tea like that, yes?"

Lindy grinned. "One of the small pleasures of command, Headmaster."

Ozpin matched the grin. "Quite. So tell me about the rest of your command. I find myself interested in the group called the.. _Wolkenritter_ , if I pronounced it correctly?"

"Ah, yes. I'd introduce you to them, but they are currently finalizing a… an _effort_ to fit in with your Beacon's student population more easily. Captain Yagami requested that they not be disturbed until they finished."

* * *

Vita crossed her arms, watching the other knights as they finished a short set of calisthenics. Signum seemed to have lost none of her martial grace. Shamal seemed a little more fumble-footed, and was doubly distressed by the ill fit of her uniform. She'd lost a fair bit of the curve to her hips, and was tightening her belt for the third time.

Zafira seemed to take the alteration in his form quite well, but of all of them he was the _natural_ shapeshifter. Changing shapes was second nature to him. _Still,_ Vita thought as she glanced down from unaccustomed height, _I think I came through the aging process okay._

She paused, squeezing her arms together a little. Looking up, she caught Signum's eye. "Hey. Sig."

"What?"

Vita put her hands behind her head, stretching a little and relishing the rapid-fire popping of her spine. "It looks like I'm the leader now."

Signum stared at her for a long moment. "Mm. It appears the _burdens of command_ fall on you now."

"I think I'll be able to hold the _weight_ of them pretty well." Vita turned on her heels, walking out the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go sit in on Red's weapon cla-"

 _Bump_. Vita looked down in trepidation. Pressed right into her cleavage was a crown of brown hair, with a red hairband threaded through her bangs, just above her left temple. "A-a-ah! Hayate, I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was-"

" _Ph-b-r-b-r-b-rb-r-br-br-rp!"_

* * *

Nanoha looked up from the bench of weapon parts in front of her. "Did I just hear Vita scream?"

Ruby shrugged. "Was that Vita?"

"Sounded like it. I thought she said she was going to go through puberty real fast, but _that_ scream would have Arf howling at the rafters." The flight mage sorted a few more parts into various piles, tilting her head.

 _How does someone 'go through puberty real fast'?_ "I passed Hayate in the hallway a few minutes ago, she said she was gonna go check on them and see how the 'procedure' went." Ruby scratched her head, then noticed Nanoha's expression.

It was a look of realization. "Oh. That explains it. Yeah, that was Vita."

"I'll take your word for it then. So, what are you planning to make?"

"I'm still trying to decide what to integrate into Raising Heart. She told me to decide on my own."

"Raising Heart is your weapon? She can talk too?" Ruby looked around. "Can _everyone's_ weapon talk where you come from? Where is she?"

"Not all of them, but a lot, yeah. Here, let me show you." Nanoha clasped the necklace hidden under her uniform jacket. "Raising Heart, _Onegai?"_

" _Yes, my master! Accel Mode!"_ There was a flash of pink light. A short, white and pink staff with a curved, golden head appeared in her hand. The red gem sphere inside the head glimmered with its own internal light.

 _Why does everyone here have these super-neat things like this?_ "What does she do?"

"Raising Heart is a Mid-childan style Intelligent Device. She helps me channel magic from my linker core, and assists in the calculations necessary for more powerful spells. There's a _lot_ of mathematics involved in spellcasting, and if you don't have a device you have to do it all yourself. In this form, she's better attuned for close range magical combat."

"Oh, so she has more than one form? Like Crescent Rose?"

"Mm! Raising Heart, Buster Mode!"

" _Yes, my master!"_ The device flashed again, and the golden head shifted, seeming to roll in place and straighten until it had become a U-shape, the gem cradled in the center and the open end pointed away from the shaft.

"This is Raising Heart's shooting mode, where she's more effective at long-range bombardment spells."

"Neat! How far can you shoot her?"

"Hmmm… I think my record was two kilometers?"

" _One point nine three, my master!"_

"That's crazy!"

"Not really. Line of sight is a lot farther during flight combat. The biggest challenge is leading your target at that range."

"Does she have any more forms?"

"Just one more. Raising Heart, Exceed Mode. And please don't alert Chrono, I'm not planning on doing anything."

The device flashed again, the golden U shifting into a wide golden spearhead bristling with antennae-like spikes. Ruby's eyes widened. "Ooooo. Is that her melee form?"

"What? No, no. Raising Heart isn't really made for melee combat. This form is for high-energy focus, not physical piercing.

"What do you do when the bad guys get close, then?"

"SHE ZIPS AWAY AT THE LAST SECOND LIKE A FUCKING HOUSEFLY AND MAKES YOU CHASE HER DOWN AGAIN." The door slammed shut. They both looked over to see Vita, back pressed against the door, face flushed, chest heaving, and panic on her face. "NOW HAVE MERCY AND HIDE ME."

Ruby tilted her head. The formerly pint-sized berserker now stood taller than _Yang_ , sweatpants clinging to the curve of her hips and the remaining buttons of a white shirt straining to hold her… "...is that lipstick?"

The door creaked open, and Vita yelped and dove across the room, cowering behind Nanoha and peeking out from behind her back. Zafira poked his head into the room, one ear twitching. "Mistress Hayate can get a little… handsy."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. _Mistress?_

In the hallway, they could hear Hayate calling out. "Vi~taaaaa? Where'd you goo~oo?"

"Vita," Nanoha twisted around, trying to look at the red haired knight. "What _happened?"_

The fiery _Wolkenritter_ bawled. "I've assumed the _burdens of command!"_

* * *

Zafira was pleased to note that his reduction in apparent age hadn't affected his ability to move at all. He was still the same height and had the same reach. He just wasn't _quite_ as bulky as he had been.

"Eat your vegetables, Zafira. You're a growing boy now."

All the respect in the world couldn't keep Zafira from rolling his eyes, but he forked a few spears of broccoli onto his plate as he moved down the serving line. "Yes, Mistress Hayate."

There was the distinct _clink_ of a fork hitting a plate. Zafira's ear twitched, zeroing in on the sound. He took a slice of meatloaf, drizzling a bit of gravy over it. "Excuse me."

His footsteps took him away from the serving line, to the far end of the cafeteria. Blake Belladonna sat with her team at the end of a table, quietly discussing the events of the last week. He saw the girl's bow twitch as he approached, but the white-haired girl acknowledged him first. "Zafira."

"Ms. Schnee." His gaze flicked to Blake, and he waited until she looked up and met his eyes. "Why do you hide your nature? To be a Guardian Beast is a point of pride."

Ruby gasped, looking up at him. Weiss shot to her feet, sputtering in outrage, and Yang glared at him with sudden fire in her eyes. Blake stood as well, her chair clattering back behind her. "I'm not a _beast!"_

Zafira was ever-so-slightly taken aback. _This_ was not the reaction he'd been expecting to provoke. "Ah. My apologies."

"You better apologize! No one gets away with saying that kind of shit to Blake!" The fiery blonde was on her feet now, doing her best to get up in his face. It was an admirable attempt, given the height difference between them.

Zafira made a pointed effort to _not_ look behind him, keeping Hayate's possible reaction out of his thoughts. He hesitated.

Professor Goodwitch's voice cut through the silence that had swept through the small cafeteria. "Team RWBY, calm down please. This is an innocent misunderstanding. Faunus Politics was originally scheduled to be on the curriculum tomorrow, but I will be moving it forward to today's lesson plan. As soon as lunch is finished, we'll begin."

Weiss blinked, and comprehension dawned on her face. She reached out and tugged Yang back to her seat, shaking her head. "Yang, settle down. He didn't mean anything wrong."

Yang gave him one last glare, then dropped back into her seat, arms crossed. Zafira gave a tentative nod, backing away. "I _am_ sorry. I did not mean to cause offense."

* * *

"And _that_ brings us up to date on the Faunus Rights Movement. Captain Yagami, if you would come to the front of the room? Please explain to Team RWBY what we had discussed earlier in the week."

"Yes, Professor." The tiny brunette slipped to the front of the room. "Zafira, Arf. With me, please."

Blake tried her best to keep the frown off her face as the two wolf faunus joined the TSAB captain. She'd done her best to put the incident in the cafeteria behind her, but it was _embarrassing_ to have been called out in such a fashion.

The little brunette cleared her throat. "As the four of you are aware, we are not from Remnant. What needs to be explained is that self-perpetuating races of people with animalistic characteristics are exceedingly rare, and do not represent nearly the same percentage of the TSAB signatory worlds' populations as faunus do on Remnant."

Blake felt her frown fall into place, but it was out of confusion now and not irritation. She didn't feel the need to ask anything, though, as it was obvious that Hayate was collecting her thoughts before continuing.

"While Zafira and Arf share many characteristics with both Remnant's faunus and the TSAB's equivalent, they are two different classifications of being. For technical purposes their physiological origin is identical, but they have different levels of specialization. Arf is what is called a _familiar_. Familiars offer a wide range of support and combat ability, as well as administrative assistance and other functions. Arf, if you would?"

"Okay! Like Hayate said, I'm a familiar. Fate found me around… oh, a decade or so ago? I was dying from a disease, and to save my life she bound me as her familiar. If she hadn't and I'd somehow survived the sickness, well… you wouldn't have met me because I'd never have been on the _Arthra._ But if somehow you _did_ find me, I'd have looked like this."

Arf glowed a bright orange, making Blake shield her eyes. When she looked back, the tall, red-haired woman was gone, and in her place was a massive, red-furred…

 _WOLF_. Blake's semblance activated as she lurched back, and the shadowy afterimage covered her escape. By the time everyone caught sight of her, she had her feet and hands hooked around the metal strips supporting the dropped ceiling.

The _wolf_ cast a maligned glare at Zafira. He sighed. "She's not going to chase you just because you're a cat person, Blake."

The wolf glowed again, shifting back into the shape of a tall, buxom woman. " _This_ time," Arf said, before winking and taking her seat again. Zafira shook his head and pinched his nose. Fate leaned over and poked Arf in the arm, a disapproving scowl on her face. Arf _whined._

Hayate looked to be holding back laughter. "Blake, please come down. No one's going to do anything crazy."

Blake's only response was to glare at Zafira. "He's one _too_ , isn't he."

"Yes and no. First off, Zafira is _much better behaved._ Second, he's what is called a Guardian Beast. Guardian beasts are bred, raised, and trained since birth for one specific role; protection of their master or mistress."

Ruby raised a tentative hand. "A-are you the one that bonded Zafira, Hayate?"

The white-haired wolfman shook his head. "She is not. My memories of my original master are lost to time."

Hayate nodded. "Zafira _became_ mine for a time in the incident that introduced me to the world of magic. At the conclusion of that incident, I was lucky enough to be able to set him and the other _Wolkenritter_ free. They are bound to no one, and remain with me out of their own senses of loyalty." Zafira nodded, a motion echoed by Signum, Vita, and Shamal.

"But Zafira is able to turn into a wolf too?" Blake still wasn't so sure she was ready to come down from the ceiling.

In answer, Zafira glowed white, his shape morphing into a blue-furred wolf even larger than Arf had been. Below her, Weiss had both hands pressed to her cheeks, eyes wide with… adoration. Blake winced. _There goes one ally._

"Wait." Yang spoke up now. "Speaking of the _Wolkenritter_ , how did they all change ages? How did Vita turn herself into a _threat?_ " She grinned, pantomiming cupping her own assets.

Hayate grinned. There was the slightest sound of palm meeting face, from Professor Goodwitch. The little brunette continued without missing a beat. "The long and short of it is that the _Wolkenritter_ are not human. They were also transformed, much in the same fashion as familiars, in a manner lost to time and memory. They were bound to an artifact that eventually made its way into my hands, and as I mentioned earlier, I was able to free them from it. With help from all of my friends here, I must add."

"While fully sophont, they are technically mana constructs. While they possess their own linker cores, their bodies are solidified energy. While they look, act, feel and smell increasingly human as they put more effort into it, they are not. Because of this, the possibility exists for them to… edit their physical features. This is actually the first time they have done so since I met them, as I never asked them to change for my own designs."

There was a grumpy huff from the back of the room. "You just had to wait for some other reason, you menace!" The red-haired knight's shout was at least a _little_ bit playful.

"The point of all this was to explain Zafira's misunderstanding. Ms. Belladonna, he made the honest mistake of thinking that you were a Guardian Beast because when he first met you, you were shadowing Professor Goodwitch in exactly that kind of role. The silent protector. It really was a compliment coming from him."

"Oh." Blake felt a blush tinge her cheeks, and she sheepishly dropped down from the ceiling to land on her feet.

Zafira flowed back into human form, walking up to her and offering his hand. Blake looked at it, and after a moment's hesitation gripped his hand in hers, shaking once. She even let herself smile.


	6. Chapter 6

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 6 – Moving Day

"Okay, class! Everyone please take your- nevermind you're already sitting." Ruby shifted from foot to foot, looking down at the lesson plan she had put together with Professor Goodwitch the night before. The words seemed to crawl on the page, running together into a smear of black lines. She shook her head to clear it.

She could hear the professor's advice playing in her head. _Don't keep staring at your lesson plan. Look at your students; engage them in the material._ "Today we're going to talk about the single purpose that all huntsmen and huntresses exist for. Does anyone want to take a guess at what it is?"

Nanoha raised her hand. "Fighting the Grimm."

"Yes! While in practice huntsmen will take various different jobs to support themselves, we train to fight the Grimm. We fight to keep everyone else safe, so that people can live their lives in peace and safety." Ruby glanced down at the plan again. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but as members of the TSAB, you're all military, right? Well, I know Yuuno is a librarian and Arf works with him, but you're still a, uhm. A subdivision in the TSAB, right?"

The blonde nodded. "That's right."

"Okay. So as military, you're trained to follow things like the Rules of Engagement. I don't know exactly how the TSAB defines them, but I'm sure there are plenty of things that involve the, uhm… fair use of force, and things like that, right? Opponents are given a chance to surrender, and you follow standard methods that dictate escalation of force in combat, right?"

Hayate raised her hand, waiting until Ruby nodded to her. "That's correct. TSAB doctrine generally advocates the minimal use of force to resolve an issue. It's hard to keep your dependent populations safe if you open up with Breaker class spells at the start of every engagement. Not only because of the risk of collateral damage, but because eventually the people you're fighting against are going to start by opening up with _their_ strongest weapons."

"Right! That's all very important when you're dealing with the kinds of things that you all… deal with." Ruby flipped to the next page. "I'm completely serious when I say that it's very commendable of you and your government. Those are important things to consider when you want to keep people safe, and to maintain their trust in the people in power."

At the back of the room, Professor Goodwitch gave Ruby a small nod. She took a breath and continued. "So now, I need you to take all those rules that you've learned, and _throw them out the window_. The Grimm are not an opponent that can be reasoned with. They exist for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to _kill you and the people you are trying to protect._ They don't know fear. You can't rout the Grimm with a superior show of force. Your only options in dealing with the Grimm are _total victory or tactical retreat._ Show them no quarter, because they _will not show it to you."_

"For the rest of this class we're going to be going over the more common types of Grimm. Please open _Grimm Anatomy_ to page ten." Ruby turned and clicked on the remote in her hand. The projector spun up, and a diagram of a beowolf appeared on the board. "As you are all soldiers, you should note that the beowolf is the closest in build to the human form of all the Grimm, with similar critical points."

* * *

"So why Ruby, if you don't mind me asking? Don't get me wrong, as she did a wonderful job today." Lindy sipped her tea, watching keenly as Yang and Zafira traded blows in the impromptu sparring ring. The wolfman wasn't quite sandbagging; it was clear that Yang was a little too aggressive for him to take it easy, and the different _kind_ of durability Aura provided allowed her to shrug off hits that would have put most TSAB mages on the ground, barrier jacket or no.

Glynda took a long drink of her coffee, eyes on the fight and the projected display of their Aura levels. "Perspective, mostly. Everyone on Team RWBY wants to make a difference, but Ms. Rose wants to be a hero. She wants to protect people _._ Her mother was a huntress, and she was raised on stories and legends read to her by her sister."

"Ah." Lindy smiled a little, glancing across the room at Nanoha. "You want her to realize that passing on the knowledge to others is just as important, if not more so, than simply being able to fight. Much like Captain Takamachi realized when she decided to join the Training Division."

"Quite." Glynda leaned forward, then stood, raising her voice. "Match over by Aura depletion. Ms. Xiao Long, your Aura has dropped below fifteen percent."

Lindy finished her tea, setting the cup aside and standing herself. "And that's my cue. Durandal, set up. Skirmish mode."

" _Yes, boss."_

The white and blue staff flashed and appeared in her hand, much more streamlined than before and with sharp, angular edges to the head. "Wish me luck. It's been years since I've fought in melee combat."

Glynda smiled, watching as Ruby extended _Crescent Rose_ into scythe configuration. "Good luck, Lindy. You'll need it."

* * *

"A rifle spear?" Nanoha tilted her head, looking at the _rather comprehensive_ diagram that Ruby had sketched up over the course of all of five minutes.

"Yeah, with a shield! You're a ranged mage, right? Vita said you fly around like a… a housefly when people get too close to you. But you're not going to be able to fly much here on Remnant, not at Beacon. A spear is good for keeping things back from you, they've got a bit of extra reach. That, and one of my friends at Beacon would be a _great_ tutor for you. She's amazing!" Ruby grinned.

' _Are you ready?' Her father asked. Nanoha gulped, nodding. Kyouya and Miyuki brandished a boken each, flanking to the sides while Shiro pressed her from the front. She desperately spun the mock naginata in her hands, fending off the attacks from all sides as her skilled family strove to land a blow. Wooden claps echoed throughout the dojo, sharp percussion music that Nanoha hadn't let herself appreciate for years. Low-power barriers, the best she could manage without Raising Heart directly assisting, flashed into place between the worse blows and her body, drawing out what should have been a short match into long, intense minutes of combat. Even with sweat dripping down her brow and bruises smarting under her padding, she smiled._

"Hmm. What do you think, Raising Heart? Ruby says a spear, but maybe a naginata form that transforms into a hunting rifle?"

" _I can be shot!"_

"I guess that answers that."

It only took a few minutes to describe exactly what a naginata was to Ruby, and she quickly sketched out a new design. Nanoha had to admit, the way Ruby poked her tongue into the corner of her mouth while she worked was adorable, but her eyebrows rose as the diagram became even more complicated.

"There! More options are better, after all! Pyrrha's going to _love_ working with you!"

"If you say so. We can always, heh, dumb it down a little if necessary, right?" Nanoha removed _Raising Heart's_ necklace, setting it on the worktable. "Raising Heart, unpack your dimensional pocket and we'll get to work. Authorize Amy Harlaown for administrative access."

" _Yes, my master! Amy Harlaown authorized. I look forward to integrating the new hardware!"_ The bright glow of light made them avert their eyes, and when it cleared Raising Heart's internal systems were splayed out across the table with calculated precision. Amy stepped closer, tapping on her datapad and putting the device into shutdown mode.

"Wait wait wait, _that's_ Raising Heart?! I thought she was a staff!"

"Er… yeah? Devices use the same storage technology as the _Arthra_ , just on a smaller scale. Otherwise there'd be no way to carry all the parts required to channel magic properly."

"She weighs more than you do! She weighs more than _all three of us!"_

"Nyahaha, she doesn't weigh _that_ much. Amy, she masses in at what, a hundred kilos?"

"A hundred and two, Nanoha." Amy snatched the diagram out of Ruby's limp hands, giving it a once over. "A hundred and ten after these parts get installed."

Ruby stared for a moment longer, then slapped her cheeks a few times and shook her head. "R-right! Well, let's get started."

* * *

Signum reeled her target dummy in, casting a critical eye on her grouping. _A bit low. I need to remember to adjust for ballistic drop._ The door opened behind her, prompting her to glance over her shoulder. "Testarossa. Did you finish your modifications to Bardiche?"

"I did. I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting to the weight of an actual scythe blade, but Ruby says she'll be happy to give me pointers when she's finished working on Raising Heart. How is Laevatein?"

"Unhindered by the alterations. I must admit, it has been many, many years since I last fired physical projectiles of any form. It is taking some getting used to." Signum yanked the arrows from the dummy's torso, giving the tips a cursory inspection before sliding them back into her quiver. "Would you like to spar while we wait?"

The red-eyed blonde gave her a smile. "I would."

Signum nodded, and disengaged _Laevatein's_ sheathe with a flick of her thumb. Metal folded and shifted, and in a scant moment she was holding the sword easily in her hand. Light glinted off the newly angular blade. "Lead the way."

* * *

"It's… an assault rifle." Chrono stared blankly at the Remnant style weapon.

Amy crowed with glee. "You're damned straight it's an assault rifle! I've read my history! Back before magic was science, when gunpowder was still a thing, _this_ was one of the weapons that wars were won with!" A flick of her hand disengaged the frame lock, and the weapon _unfolded._ The plating on the sides swept up and linked together, letting her yank the suddenly-straightened grip free and sliding her other arm into the gap. With only a moment's time passing, the _Arthra's_ Executive Aide was wielding a double-edged short sword and an angular shield, grinning widely.

Chrono shook his head in exasperation. "Fine. But I'm going to have Signum work you until you _drop."_ He sighed, looking down at the equipment he was integrating into _S2U._ "...and then I'm going to have her do it to me."

"Is that a _shotgun,_ Chrono? You're going to be firing into melee with a shotgun?"

"Someone needs to pack one of these, and I don't trust any of the others with it." He soldered another connection. If it wasn't for Hayate and those zombie games she'd brought with her on the _Arthra_ over the years, he'd never have had the idea. "Besides, I'll admit I've wanted to use one for a few years now."

* * *

The remaining days of the week passed quickly, days filled from morning to dusk with history, culture, weapons training, and more. The enforced closeness of being confined to the warehouse's offices along with the tight schedule Glynda had set was finally beginning to wear on nerves, but the end was in sight.

Measurements had been needed, and more than a few faces went red when Hayate had rattled them off to the tailor for _everyone,_ including those she had _never laid hands on_. Not even Lindy had been spared. Still, it made the process go far more quickly than expected.

He allowed himself a small smile while he stood at the front of the impromptu classroom. "Good morning everyone. If you have not met me before, I am Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. In two days time, classes for the second semester of the year begin. Professor Goodwitch has informed me that she is satisfied with your academic progress, both individually and collectively, and believes you are ready to attend and observe our facility."

"Thank the _Kaiser._ This place is starting to _smell._ "

"Vita, be nice."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ozpin let the small scattering of laughter pass. "As you all know, students at Beacon are arranged into teams. Admiral Harlaown and I have spent some time in deliberations, and she has been so kind as to allow me to review footage from your… devices, taken during the defense of the _Arthra_ in the Emerald Forest. Between the two of us, we have decided on the teams you will be placed in for your time at Beacon."

Nanoha traded a smile with the long-haired blonde. _Fate,_ Ozpin remembered. _The admiral's adopted daughter._ Lindy had told him about their friendship, eight years strong now.

 _Not that it does me any particular pleasure, but it is time to dash those hopes._ He cleared his throat. "Zafira Yagami. Fate T. Harlaown. Signum Yagami. Hayate Yagami. You will be Team Zebrafish, led by Zafira Yagami." The wolfman's eyes widened, genuine surprise making itself known on his face. Hayate raised her eyebrows and smiled, while Signum clapped a hand on the guardian beast's shoulder. Fate blinked, but nodded in acceptance. There was a small scattering of applause from the others watching.

"Chrono Harlaown," Ozpin continued, "Shamal Yagami, Amy Harlaown, Lindy Harlaown. You will form Team Celestial, Chrono Harlaown leading." The young man seemed surprised as well, casting a questioning glance at the admiral. She nodded, smiling demurely. Amy let out a cheer, throwing her arms around her husband's shoulders in a hug.

"Lastly. Nanoha Takamachi. Arf Harlaown. Vita Yagami. Yuuno Scrya. Led by Nanoha Takamachi, you will form Team Navy."

"What? Navy?" Nanoha piped up, confused. "But I'm air force!"

"The _color_ , Ms. Takamachi."

" _Baka."_ Vita gave Nanoha a friendly shove.

"Oh. That makes a lot more sense!"

Ozpin allowed himself a small chuckle. "I have taken the liberty of supplying some extra casual clothing, as not every waking moment at Beacon is spent in uniform." There was a muted _damn!_ from Hayate. "Please select some appropriate attire for yourselves, pack any belongings you will be bringing with you, and return here in half an hour. You will use today to settle into your dormitory rooms, and Team RWBY will help you familiarize yourselves with the campus. Use tomorrow to relax. Classes begin on Monday."

* * *

Hayate tilted her head, standing in the doorway to the newly minted Team ZFSH's dorm room.. "Zafira, did you already unpack my things?" _I swear I only stopped to talk to Nanoha for a minute or two._

"I did. Signum and I are familiar enough with your preferences to do so, Mistre-"

Hayate cut him off, voice sharp. "No."

The Guardian Beast cut off mid-syllable, blinking. Signum stepped forward, hesitantly. "Hayate- _sama_ , I-"

"No, Signum. Stop and listen to me." Hayate glanced down the hallway. _The only natives around are Team RWBY. Small mercies._ Hayate stepped inside the room, pulling the door shut behind her. "We need to change how we interact. You and Zafira _cannot_ be heard deferring in such a way to me anymore. It will raise too many questions, arouse too many suspicions."

She pointed at Zafira. " _You're_ the leader of this team now, Zafira. While we're here at Beacon, _you're_ the one with authority. Doubly so since everyone's going to think you're a faunus. You _can't_ treat me as your master anymore. Signum, the same to you. We're just students now, all of us."

There was a long moment of silence as the two _Wolkenritter_ exchanged glances. Fate busied herself with unpacking her own clothes, staying out of the conversation. Finally, Zafira nodded. "Mi- _Hayate_. I understand. You will be content serving your own needs?"

She smiled. "I got by for years before the Book of Darkness brought you to me. I think I can manage again."

"If you're sure, Hayate-sa-" Signum looked like she'd swallowed a bad fig, but was accepting the logic of the situation. "Hayate."

Hayate turned, putting her hand on the door knob. "I need to go talk to Vita and Shamal too. May I be excused, Zafira?" She glanced back over her shoulder, putting on a teasing grin.

The wolfman rolled his eyes. "Do what you need to do."

* * *

"RUUU~BY!"

"Oh, hey Nor- oof!"

Chrono stepped out of the way as the leader of Team RWBY was tackled to the floor by an even smaller girl with a mop of burnt-orange hair on her head. The two girls went down in a pile, rolling across the floor in an animated struggle-hug. He glanced over his shoulder. Amy shrugged, Fate had taken a step back, and Lindy simply had a beatific smile on her face.

Catching up was a slim, tallish youth with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a green tunic reminiscent of styles from Unadministered World 97's far east. "Nora, let her up."

"Reeeen she's been gone for _two weeks!_ That was all break! We didn't get to hang out or eat pancakes together or _anything!"_

"Please, stop…"

"What were you _doing!_ Did you go on a super secret _GRIMM KILLING MISSION?!_ I'm so jealous!" She did let go, though, and bounced back to her feet.

Chrono offered Ruby a hand, which she gladly accepted, and pulled her upright. "You okay, Ms. Rose?"

Unfortunately, speaking up drew the wildly exuberant girl's attention. Turquoise eyes locked on him, and suddenly the girl was _right_ in front of him, looking up at him. "You're new!"

Ruby dusted herself off, interposing with some practiced skill to give Chrono back his personal space. "They're new students. Nora, these are the Harlaowns. Chrono, Amy, Fate, and Lindy. Everyone, this is Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren."

Murmurs of greetings passed between them. Nora's gaze snapped from one face to the other, then a speculative look made itself known in her eyes. "...you two don't look like family."

"We're married." Amy leaned against Chrono's side, smiling.

"Oh. Well _you_ don't look like them."

"I'm adopted."

"Oh! Well _yooo~oouu_ two… you two are siblings, that's obvious."

Chrono facepalmed, and behind him he could hear Lindy laugh delightedly. "...yes. Lindy's my sister."

Nora's head turned as the cafeteria door opened again, and the Yagamis entered. "Ooh! More people!"

Her mad dash was interrupted by a burst of rose petals. "NOdon'tjumpthem! They'retwitchy!" Both girls tumbled to the floor again.

Chrono shook his head, feeling a keen sense of despair. Fate gave his shoulder a soft pat. "Well, it looks like it will be an interesting stay."


	7. Chapter 7

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 7 - The Worst Day Ever

The _Arthra's_ dozen made the decision to go to breakfast early. Not as early as possible, as they didn't want to stand out by being the first ones there. But, they also didn't want to draw attention by being the last group of students to enter the cafeteria. Better to become part of the background early on, was the general idea.

So, Teams CSAL, ZFSH, and NAVY occupied a stretch of tables on one side of the room, quietly conversing over fruit and pastries while students filtered into the large room. Beacon Academy uniforms were the item of the day, and the TSAB teams wore them with military poise.

A wash of red petals heralded Ruby's arrival at the table, the rest of her team following along in short order. Blake stood for a moment, looking for a place to sit at the increasingly crowded table. After a moment, Zafira glanced up from his plate and nodded to her, shifting to the side to give her room next to Yang.

"Thank you." Blake took the offered seat.

Zafira nodded again, then returned to his meal. Blake glanced down the table. "You're missing some people."

"Indeed. Arf and Yuuno decided to skip breakfast. They said something about using a portion of the discretionary fund provided to us, and took an airship downtown."

"I see."

Beside her, Yang looked up and waved. "Nora, Ren! Jaune!"

The members of JNPR joined them; Nora and Ren sat at the end of the table, having a heaping stack of pancakes and a bowl of oatmeal, respectively. Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "Yang, have you seen Pyrrha? She was supposed to be getting back this morning, and I haven't seen her ye- Oh, there you are!"

Blake tilted her head. "But Pyrrha's not-"

"Pyrrha? Wait a second, did you dye your hair? Why did you dye your hair _pink?_ I mean it doesn't look bad but it's making me double take and wait a minute you're not Pyrrha. I totally didn't mean to mistake you for her, I'm so sorry."

Blake glanced down the table to see Signum staring steadily at JNPR's blonde leader, unblinkingly. Now that the comparison was made, Blake could see the resemblance. Youthened to seventeen years of age, Signum looked _surprisingly_ similar to Pyrrha Nikos, if admittedly a few inches shorter. The knight nodded slowly to Jaune. "Apology accepted."

"Oh, right!" Ruby stood up. "Everyone, this is Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR. Jaune, let me introduce you to everyone!"

* * *

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Tukson." Emerald let the frown fall across her features, red eyes boring into the man. "I hear you're planning on leaving."

Behind her, Mercury hit a control, dimming one of the shop windows. Emerald continued. "Moving all the way to Vacuo. Your brothers in the White Fang wouldn't be happy to hear _that."_ The room got darker as Mercury dimmed the next. "And neither are we."

Only the faintest amount of light was coming in from outside, now. "You know who we are, don't you?" Emerald stood relaxed, completely at ease.

Tukson hesitated, brows coming together. "Yes."

"And, you know why we're here?" She let the faintest smile touch her lips.

"Yes."

Mercury walked up behind her. _Insurance_. "So. Are you going to fight back?" _Say yes. Say yes, you stupid animal! Say it!_

The door slammed open, flooding the room with daylight. "HALLOOO~OOOO!"

"Arf, I don't think they're open!"

"Nonsense, Yuuno! The sign says nine to five! It's ten thirty!" Emerald spun around to see a tall, red-haired wolf faunus _saunter_ into the bookstore, all blatant curves and muscle. Behind her, a shorter man with a blonde ponytail followed as if swept in the faunus' wake. "Hiiii! Are you open?"

"Y- YES! Yes, of course we're open! Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" Emerald wanted to curse; scream, even. Tukson stepped out from behind the counter, giving her and Mercury both a wide berth as he went to _shake the bitch's hand_. "What can I help you with? Anything in particular?"

The woman, _Arf,_ the blonde had called her, returned the handshake. Her tail thrashed excitedly behind her, and she took a breathe. Emerald saw the glint in her eyes change, becoming ever-so-slightly predatory. "Oh I'm sure you can!" She turned, a fangy grin still on her face. "Yuuno, what are we looking for?"

"Oh, uhm. History books, if you have them."

"Of course I do! Are you looking for any in particular?" Tukson led them along, the perfect image of the helpful shopkeeper.

"Anything with varied viewpoints, really. It's for a special project. We're studying history as told through the eyes of each major nation, but so far it's been hard to find that kind of nonfiction from non-Valean editors."

"Sounds like a bit of an undertaking. But I do think I have some old textbooks that could help you out. Let's see here…"

Emerald and Mercury exchanged a glance. It was already obvious; the faunus _bitch_ and her boytoy weren't going to be leaving anytime soon. Mercury jerked his head toward the door. Hands clenched tight, Emerald followed him out.

 _This was supposed to be an easy hit. How did this go wrong?_

* * *

"I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!"

"How did it come to this?"

Chrono ducked down behind CSAL's table barricade, narrowly avoiding taking a tomato to the forehead. Beside him, Amy had gotten her hands on a stack of pancakes, and had one floppy cake in a discus grip. She lurched to her feet with a wild yell, curling her arm to throw, and Chrono grabbed her and hauled her back down. She struggled, yelling something about perfect flanking positions.

Sitting next to him, Shamal just gave him a smile and a shrug, before trading a glance over his shoulder with Lindy. The smile got wider, and the Knight of the Lake started giggling.

"What, Shamal? What about this entire mad scene is funny?"

"Friendly fire."

Chrono's eyes widened. He turned and threw up his arm, an instant too late to stop Lindy from throwing a cream pie right into his face. Amy tore loose from his slackened grip, crowing in victory and sending pancakes flying like frisbees into the melee.

* * *

"Oh, look at this one, Yuuno! _In the Trenches: A Firsthand Account of the Great War._ " Arf held the book up to display the title, her left ear twitching one, two, three times.

Yuuno leaned in over her shoulder, glancing over the cover with a look of practiced interest. Arf whispered in his ear, barely audible even from that short distance. "Owner's scared for his life. Whole room smelled like fear when we walked in. Also, he's totally a cat."

Yuuno made an approving noise, taking the book out of Arf's hands. The owner, Tukson, was waiting behind the counter, drumming his fingers nervously on the wood. "I think we'll be taking this one too. Any other suggestions?"

The dark-haired man shrugged. "If you're looking for more _political_ history, perhaps _Returning to Dust: The Autobiography of Kalt Schnee_ would be of interest? It details the rise of the Schnee Dust Company, but it _is_ a bit biased, obviously. A good book for a counter-bias is _Stolen Land_ , which details the trials of the faunus populations displaced by Kalt Schnee's land purchases."

"Both of those would be great. Are they out here?"

"No, they're in the back. I'll go find them for you." Tukson disappeared into the stock room.

Yuuno stepped close to Arf, keeping his voice as low as possible. "Think it was those two that were here when we arrived?"

"Does Vita scream a lot?"

"They still nearby?"

Arf cracked the front door, sniffed, then shut it. "...faint. Probably loitered for a while hoping we'd leave, then took off about fifteen minutes ago."

"Give it another fifteen minutes, then?"

"Yeah. Oh, here he comes, I'll keep myself busy." Arf turned toward a rack of light novels, and Yuuno walked back to the counter. Behind him, he could hear Arf making inquisitive sounds. "Oooo, Ninjas of Love! That sounds interesting!"

* * *

"It doesn't matter that you're all new here, you should _know better_ than to do this! _Especially_ you, Ms. Harlaown!"

Glynda was _furious_. The entire cafeteria was a disaster zone, and she had _seventeen students_ dripping head-to-toe in smears of food and condiments. The only one that looked at all sorry was Chrono, and it wasn't so much the face of _apology_ as the face of someone who wished they hadn't bothered to get out of bed.

Lindy tried and failed to hold back a giggle, wiping at the mustard on her cheek and only succeeding in smearing it around. "Would you believe me if I say I've _never_ gotten to do this before?"

"That is _beside the point._ I do not want to see something like this happ-" She was interrupted by Yang falling through the ceiling, smashing right into one of the recently replaced tables. An inarticulate growl started to build at the back of her throat.

A hand landed gently on her shoulder. "Let it go."

She sighed, letting the worst of the anger and tension drain out with the exhalation. "They're supposed to be the defenders of the world." _And more than that, even._

"And they will be, but right now they're still children." _Most of them,_ Ozpin didn't need to say. "So why not let them play the part." He started walking toward the door.

"But the-" Glynda turned toward him, but stopped. Two of the exchange students were standing by the door, and she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Even the refugees, Glynda. They've had a hard life."

 _Fine._ She sighed again, turning toward the… _combatants._ "Since this is the last day before classes start, I won't be assigning any official punishments. However, I will happily accept _volunteers_ to assist the chefs in preparing dinner, and to assist the custodial staff after."

"Oh! I'll help!" Nanoha shot to her feet, waving her hand. "I'm good at baking, and Hayate and Lindy are good at cooking too! Even Chrono's great in the kitchen!"

Amy gave Chrono a kiss on his cheek, despite or because of the whipped cream still covering it. "One of the many reasons I married you."

Glynda let herself nod. "Good, then. Go get cleaned up, and please report to the kitchens in three hours."

* * *

"Your total comes to five hundred and eighty four Lien."

"Crap. I only have four hundred and fifty." Yuuno winced. Lindy had approved a dispension from the group's discretionary fund for their trip to the bookstore, and they'd apparently overshot more than intended. "Arf, we're gonna need to put a couple back." He started sorting through the stack of books, trying to decide.

Tukson put his hand down on the stack, stopping him. The man shook his head, a slightly-forced smile on his face. "It's so rare that I see a young man and woman interested in real history instead of just swallowing the drabble that the media feeds to them. I'd be happy to give you a discount; in fact, I insist."

"Oh? That's very generous of you, Mr. Tukson. Thank you." Yuuno exchanged a glance with Arf while Tukson ran the sale and printed their receipt. "We'll be sure to stop by again when we need more material."

"I'll be happy to help you when you do." A bold-faced lie, and Yuuno knew it. Still, he appreciated the spirit it was meant in. He extended a hand and earned a firm handshake, and Arf gave Tukson a cheery wave on their way out of the store.

Arf stretched, basking in the sunlight and light breeze out on the street. "Won't be seeing him again."

"You noticed that, too?"

"Yeah. Kitty cat's gonna take his chance and run for the hills as soon as he can lock the doors. I wonder what exactly we interrupted."

"Nothing good, that much I'm sure of." Yuuno glanced back over his shoulder at the darkened windows of the shop. "Best we try to stay out of it from this point, though. We're not supposed to actively interfere in _local_ affairs."

Arf knew as well as he did that to the TSAB, 'local' meant _planetary_. "Yeah… well, let's get back, hmm?"

* * *

"I didn't know you knew so much about cooking, Jaune."

Jaune dusted his flour-covered hands on his apron, grinning a little shamefacedly. "Well, you know how it is. Living with seven sisters, you pick a few things up."

Pyrrha smiled back, then looked down at the dough she'd been kneading. "Have I done this right? Baking is one of the things that were a little neglected in my own childhood."

Nanoha reached over with one hand, giving the lump of dough a squeeze and pulling at it. "Nope, if anything it needs a few more minutes. Just keep working it and don't worry about over-kneading; it's really hard to do too much by hand." The girl hadn't even looked up from her own work, tearing off balls of dough and rolling them with one hand.

At another table, Chrono was methodically chopping vegetables and separating them into piles. Amy worked next to him, peeling potatoes with cheerful abandon. Fate and Lindy were bickering good-naturedly over the soup they were throwing the vegetables into.

The kitchen door flew open. "WE'RE BACK!"

"Arf!" Fate threw the boisterous wolf-faunus a disapproving glare. Jaune found himself staring at the newcomer. Her clothing didn't leave much to the imagination. "That's rude!" He hurriedly looked away, then realized that Fate was still talking to her, and the condemnation hadn't been directed toward him at all.

"Aw, but Fate! We brought the goods, see?" Arf tugged Yuuno into view, holding up her own bag full of books and motioning to his. "Lots of history and politics in finely printed form!"

"That's good, Arf." Lindy stepped away from the soup, smiling. "Did you spend everything I gave you?"

"We did. Sorry, Lindy. But the owner gave a discount. I'll tell you about it later?" Yuuno handed his bag off to Arf. "Anything I can do to help, here? What did we miss?"

Chrono heaved a sigh, grabbing another stack of carrots. "Food fight."

"AW! We missed one? You didn't _tell_ us?" Arf sounded offended at what was _obviously_ thoughtlessness on their parts.

"It was rather spur the moment." Amy grinned and gestured at the busy kitchen. "Punishment detail."

"Ooo, can I help too?"

"No, Arf." Lindy shook her head, still smiling. "If you 'help', all the students will be eating vegetarian by the time we serve. Go put everything away, please."

"Aw. Fiiiine." Arf slumped and plodded out the door, ears low and tail limp.

"She seems… loud." Pyrrha tilted her head.

"You have no idea." Fate's quiet voice held the tone of long-suffering martyr.

The oven dinged, and Ruby appeared in front of it in a blur of petals. She slipped on oven mitts and opened it to pull out tray after tray of cookies. "I haven't had this much fun baking in months! This is the best day ever!"

* * *

" _Listen to me. The new help is_ not _on the level. I don't know what they're planning, but whatever it is, they're using us and they'll toss us aside the moment they don't need us anymore."_

"Tukson, you're already on thin ice. A lot of people were _really_ upset when word started getting around that you were going soft."

" _And that includes putting a hit out on me? You know damned well I'm still with you. I just can't afford to be on the front lines anymore. I have a wife and kids, man. They're depending on me, and I can't support them if I'm lying dead in a ditch somewhere. That's why I'm backing off, not because I don't believe in the cause."_

"Wait, they did _what?"_

" _You heard me. The human bitch's pet brats came by my shop and were going to kill me. If it wasn't for some random bystanders walking in I'd be dead right now. Spread the damned word. Everyone who will listen. Taurus and I may disagree, but I know he didn't call that hit and I will bet you he doesn't know about it. If you can get to him yourself, ask him and see the look on his face. Or at least what you can see of it under that damned mask."_

"Damn. Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that."

" _Good. He's in over his head, and I don't want him to drag the Fang down with him when everything goes to shit. If you can help him see that, so much the better."_

"Where will you go, then?"

" _Anywhere but Vacuo. I'll contact you. Don't look for me."_

* * *

"So then we looked into a clearing and there was an _entire pack_ of alphas. A whole pack of them! Ruby got us all set up, and- mmph!"

Ruby laughed awkwardly. "Yaa~aaang, stop it with that _dream_ already. It's embarrassing! You sound like Nora!"

"Hey! I liked it!" Nora sounded offended through her mouthful of _dinner pancakes_. Jaune rolled his eyes, unable to suppress a grin when Ren leaned over to remind Nora to swallow before talking.

"Still, that does sound like it was a rather intense dream." Pyrrha sighed happily, sipping her water. "Dinner was amazing. I'm glad that I didn't ruin anything."

"You did great, Pyrrha. Still, Nanoha was amazing. She even taught me a few tricks to show my family when I… when I head home next." Jaune sighed. _If father will even let me in the door._

Around them, students were starting to leave the cafeteria. At the other end of the room, Zafira passed out mops and brooms to the others that hadn't been helping in the kitchen. Jaune watched them for a moment. "Hey… I heard Headmaster Ozpin mention after the food fight that all the new kids are refugees? What's that all about?"

"Oh, uhm." Ruby stammered, finally letting go of Yang to sit back down. "They're… yeah, refugees. They, uh-"

"They're the descendents of people that fled the Great War. Did you ever hear about the _Stairway to Heaven?"_ Blake glanced up from her book.

"What? Yeah, I've heard of it. It disappeared in the middle of the war, packed to the gills with people fleeing the fighting."

Blake nodded, flipping a page. "Their ancestors. They fixed it up and used it to come back home, but the repairs didn't hold and it crashed in the Emerald Forest."

"Wait wait wait, the _Stairway to Heaven_ came back? That's amazing! Where is it now?"

"Dry dock. It's badly damaged, so no one's allowed in. It's probably going to be scrapped."

"No way, that's a piece of history! Really?"

"Most likely."

Jaune sat back on his bench, frowning and thinking. _I want to see that ship._

* * *

"Oh, _look,_ she sent the kids again! This is turning out just like the divorce."

Emerald couldn't keep back the shuddering groan from passing through her lips, not quite daring to force Torchwick away. "Spare us the thought of you procreating." _Just play it cool, he has no clue where we've been._

" _That_ was a joke." He ambled between them, walking toward the desk festooned with maps and notes. "And _this_ just might tell me where you two have been all day." He held up a sheet of paper between two gloved fingers, leaning on his cane.

"What?" Panic shot through Emerald. She patted her pocket, finding it empty.

His voice dripped pure disdain. "I'm a _professional,_ sweetheart. Pay attention, you might learn something." Glancing at the paper, his eyes narrowed. "Why do you have this address?" It wasn't a question, but a cold demand for answers.

Emerald shared a worried glance with Mercury. He leaned back on one foot, putting forth an air of aloofness. "Oh, you know. Just keeping an eye on thi-"

"Did he see you?"

Mercury raised his hands. "Hey, it was nothing bi-"

" _Did he see you?"_ Torchwick slammed the tip of his cane against the ground in emphasis.

"Maybe a little?" Emerald cringed when he snapped his attention back to her.

"Maybe a little? _Maybe a little?_ Tukson's a _smart old cat_ , you stupid young girl. I was keeping him isolated for a _reason._ If he catches one little sniff of things not being right he'll go to ground and we'll _never_ find him."

"Don't fucking talk to me like that! He was about to leave town right out from under your nose. He needed to be stopped!"

"Which you _obviously_ failed to do. Good job, good job! You let the cat out of the bag, literally and figuratively!" Torchwick clapped his hands in mock applause. "I don't know what the hell Cinder sees in you two, because it sure isn't your brains!"

"Roman. Is there a _problem?"_ A figure came into view from above, staring down at them from the top of a storage lift.

 _Nonono. Fuck no, not now. We can still fix this._

"You're damned straight there's a problem, Cinder. Your _wonder children_ decided that they were going to go and kill off one of my marks. I had the Tukson situation under control, and they just ruined it!"

"What's one more dead fool, Roman?" The lift lowered to the ground, and Cinder Fall stepped closer. Slowly, languidly, with the glass chimes around her ankle punctuating her steps. Her orange gaze flicked toward Emerald before passing to Mercury. "Though I did tell you two to keep your hands clean."

"A hell of a problem when he's _not dead_ , Cinder. I don't know what the hell they tried to do, but what they did do was _fuck up_. By now I'm sure the old cat's gone to ground, and he's _good at hiding."_

Cinder's eyes flared, and Emerald took a step back. She'd seen Cinder angry before, but never directed at her. "It- we can still fix this, Cinder! We'll find him, I promise!"

"Y-yeah. He's one faunus, how much can he do?"

"He's one faunus amongst many, and there are too many people in the White Fang that will still listen to him." Her gaze narrowed. "No. You'll do _nothing_ until I tell you to, Emerald. Both of you. Your impetuousness may have made things a _lot_ more difficult. I need to run damage control."

"Tell us what to do, then!"

"You _stay here_." Cinder turned and walked away, sparks flaring from her feet with every step.

Emerald lowered her eyes to the ground, fighting the need to scream. _This is the worst day ever._


	8. Chapter 8

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 8 - Putting On Appearance

 _Voiceprint match - Nanoha Takamachi DESIGNATION: MASTER  
Standby Mode - Cancelled  
Audio Receptors ACTIVE  
Audio Parser ACTIVE_

\- Audio IN: Okay, Raising Heart. Scan and link to my scroll, please.

 _MASTER command received_

 _\- Audio OUT: Yes, my master!_

 _Wireless Scanner ACTIVE  
Wireless Signal detected at 3.74 GHz - Identifying_

.  
Connection established - Encrypting

 _\- Audio IN: Perfect! Thank you, partner. Change to Strike Mode, please._

 _MASTER command received_

 _\- Audio OUT: Yes, my master! Shutting down vocal response interface._

 _Dimensional Pocket Retrieval ACTIVE  
Deploy STRIKE MODE components_

\- Text OUT channel link MASTER SCROLL: Strike Mode active! I can be shot!

 _\- Audio IN: Let's see here… enter my password… there we go! Ah, good! I know you can, partner. I've gotta leave you in here for classes, but keep the link open and you can listen in._

 _MASTER command Received_

 _\- Yes, my master! Have a good morning!_

 _Wireless signal detected - Intelligent Device BARDICHE recognized  
Connection established - Encrypting_

 _\- Text OUT: Good morning!_

 _\- Text IN: Good day._

* * *

" _Ohayo,_ Fate-chan!"

Fate smiled as Nanoha ran up to join her for the walk to the classroom buildings. It was a bright, clear morning, with dew on the grass and fluffy white clouds hanging in the sky. " _Ohayo_ , Nanoha."

"Is Bardiche ready for combat classes? I didn't get to see him finished. Alloy Form, you said you were going to call it?"

"Mm. Having a metal blade is going to take a bit of getting used to, but Ruby says she'll be happy to work with me."

Nanoha glanced around, making sure none of the locals were in earshot. "How'd he take the modifications?"

"Well enough. He said he was going to go over some calculations with Raising Heart while we're in class."

A few more calls of greeting rang through the air, and soon they were joined by the rest of NAVY and ZFSH. Vita grumbled, fussing with the ribbon around her collar until Hayate flicked her in the back of the head. "Leave it alone, Vita."

"But it's-"

"It's _fine._ Leave it alone."

"You're not the boss of me anymore! You said so yourself!"

"But _I_ am, Vita! Leave it alone!" Nanoha giggled, matching Vita's death-glare by sticking out her tongue.

"You guys suck."

Fate laughed softly, enjoying the conversation and banter around her. CSAL caught up to them a moment later, and a few minutes after that the twelve of them filtered into the lecture hall. They sat in their respective teams, one team to each row in the left side seating area.

Fate flipped open her notebook, eager to begin. School back on Earth had been something that she had always looked forward to once she'd begun living there in earnest. Something about the communal atmosphere, the imparting of knowledge from teacher to student; it didn't matter that Fate was generally quiet because she was there and a part of something greater.

The professor walked to the front of the classroom with martial bearing in every step. The distinguished, grey-haired man swept the assembled students with his gaze, then paused to give his gold-trimmed, burgundy jacket a smart tug. His mustache twitched.

"Hello, students, and welcome back from your break! As some of you may be aware, we have some _new students_ joining us for the second semester. Because of this, I will be taking today to summarize the information we covered _last_ semester, before moving on to new topics." There was an almost inaudible groan from the majority of the class, more like a wave of air pressure pushed out by the simultaneous sighs.

Fate smiled, nodding. A lot of teachers wouldn't bother being so considerate to new students, instead forcing them to put the extra effort in to catch up on their own.

"Now that I think about it, that reminds me of a time in my younger, wilder years, freshly graduated from _this_ very academy and searching for my first job as a real huntsman! Money was scarce back in those days, and there were times when I was worried that I was going to starve!"

 _What._

* * *

Beacon's battle arena.

The massive room was used to host training battles for the student huntsmen and huntresses of the academy, and the circular floor was more than a hundred long strides from end to end. Stadium-style seating circled the floor, allowing for non-combatants to spectate the training bouts from above.

During normal hours, the room was used for scheduled combat classes, allowing individuals or entire teams to face off against each other under the watchful eye of Professor Goodwitch herself. In the evenings, the battle arena could be reserved for individual study.

Twenty figures in widely varying battle attire occupied the floor and lower seating. Matched pairs of combatants faced off with the weapons of their choosing, while others practiced form and style alone or in groups. Easy laughter and conversation filtered up through the air, mixing with the metallic clash of weapons and the sharp report of dust rounds.

Sitting in the bleachers, Ozpin watched with interest as the various students went through their paces. Next to him, Lindy tapped at her scroll, muttering to herself.

"Not that I object to the company, but shouldn't you be down there with the rest, _Ms._ Harlaown?" Ozpin sipped his coffee, still observing. On one section of floor, Ruby Rose was helping the admiral's adopted daughter get used to the weight and inertia of her modified weapon. Fate seemed to be a quick study, and they had already progressed to using Dust charges to enhance motion.

"Mm? In a bit, yes. But Durandal only has a full spear for melee options, and at the moment Ms. Nikos is drilling Nanoha and Amy on sword and shield techniques."

"You have a rifle function built in, yes?"

"I do, but marksmanship is something I can practice on my own time." Lindy swiped her screen, and Ozpin caught a glimpse of a diagram. It looked like some sort of fiendishly complicated machine, crawling with labels and wide swathes marked in red. "Damnation."

"What is the matter?"

"My technicians just finished their final diagnostic on the _Arthra's_ drive core. It's essentially slag. We won't be able to repair it, which means manufacturing and installing a new one. We don't have access to the fabrication equipment needed to do so."

Ozpin nodded, letting a faint frown cross his features. "Given Remnant's lesser understanding of materials sciences, let alone your dimensional technology…"

She nodded. "We'd have to teach your people the theory, oversee the research and development process, and direct the construction of the manufacturing facility needed to do so. By which point the _Arthra's_ secret would no longer be a secret at all."

"I am sorry."

"Not your fault, Headmaster. We just need to focus on different options. FTL comm signal boosters, for example."

"I'm sure that would be quite useful…." Ozpin perked an eyebrow questioningly.

"Faster than light communications."

"Ah, yes. I allowed myself to forget about your civilization's complete disregard for physics."

A cheer went up on the floor below. Yang had Arf in a headlock, sinking blow after blow into the her torso with her free fist while the familiar bucked and rolled in increasingly energetic attempts to throw the blonde off. Shouts of encouragement rang from all around, urging both competitors on.

* * *

Signum worked _Laevatein_ through a series of cuts and thrusts, switching between one and two-handed grips with ease of long experience, slicing and bashing her way through a throng of imaginary opponents. Sweat rolled in beads down her brow, sliding down her face to drip from her chin; it was a sensation of which she was very unaccustomed.

Wearing true armor was another sensation that felt strange to her; welcome, but strange. Hayate's envisionment of the _Wolkenritter's_ Knight's Clothing was the Belkan form of a Barrier Jacket, and as such felt like it weighed nothing and didn't restrict their movements at all. Even the heavier, traditional Knight's Armor spell was supremely lightweight and flexible.

Between that, and the decision to simulate human biology as closely as possible, Signum was feeling the strain of wearing full battle gear. Normally, their simulated biology was only skin deep; lacking certain bodily concerns was _convenient_. But they needed to not only look human, but _be_ human, to keep the guise intact. _Technically_ , having human biology was a tactical disadvantage. Slightly decreased reflexes, true pain sensitivity, and even the flood of hormones through her blood; it all added up to dampen the perfect combat awareness that she was used to.

She relished it. It made her feel _alive_.

After nearly twenty minutes of full-speed martial practice, she finally let herself take a moment to breathe. Straightening up to her full height, feeling _her vertebrae pop_ with the effort, the burn of lactic acid in her muscles… _exquisite._

 _We've made ourselves this human before, but it never felt so immediate._ Signum raised her arm to look at it, hidden underneath metal and padding. Even without being able to see it, she knew that it was _thinner_ than before. Slimmer. _Still the arm of an athlete and knight, but without the bulk of maturity. It's been a long, long time since I looked like this._

The realization hit her like a solid impact, like the last time Vita had managed to slip _Graf Eisen_ past her guard. Like a thunderbolt, as if Fate had struck her with a well-cast Plasma Smasher. She closed her eyes, tipping her head back.

 _I… I remember. I was… I am in truth a Knight of Belka, not just an imitation._ The memories were hazy but real, and pieces of her most ancient past flashed through her mind; the first time she ever picked up a sword, being selected to be a squire, the day she received her knighthood. _I.. we are not just constructs of the book._

It was a heady feeling, a rush of confidence flowing through her already confident thoughts. Signum let her eyes open, ignoring the trail of wetness down her cheeks that had nothing to do with sweat, and noticed she was being watched. It was the boy that had mistaken her for his teammate. Jaune Arc.

Signum tilted her head, meeting his gaze. He flinched, looking away, but she kept watching him until he looked back. "You are not training with the others?"

The blonde rubbed the back of his neck, self-consciously. "Ah ha, ha… well, it's… I'm not… I wouldn't be a very good teacher. I'd just be getting in the way." As if to punctuate his sentence, a triple burst of Dust rounds was quickly followed by the clash of blades against shield. In the distance, Pyrrha Nikos was fighting Nanoha and Amy one-on-two, effortlessly holding her own but letting them practice at their own pace.

"You are unskilled." It was obvious, to her eyes. The way he carried himself, the lack of ease with which he carried the sword on his back. He had not yet learned that the weapon was an extension of the self, and as such had not yet accepted its place with him.

The boy blushed, looking down. Signum had spoken the words matter-of-factly, not judgmentally, but she could understand how easily they could be taken as such. Eventually, Jaune shrugged. "...yeah. Pyrrha's been teaching me, but I'm not very good yet."

"Mm." Signum straightened, then beckoned him closer with her free hand. "Come then. I will train with you, Jaune Arc."

"What? You're kidding, right? I was watching you practice." He laughed a little, awkwardly. "You'll mop the floor with me."

"I said I will train _with_ you, not _against_ you, Jaune Arc. It will be a pleasure to pass on my own skills. If you are willing to learn, that is."

Jaune looked around, then over his shoulder where Pyrrha was still quite engaged in teaching her own lessons. After another long moment, he looked back at Signum, meeting her eyes. "...okay. Okay, yeah. If you're offering to teach me, I'd be… I'd be happy to learn."

Signum nodded. "Then draw your blade and show me what you have already learned."

* * *

"What's wrong, Blakey?"

Yang flopped down next to her, soaked in sweat and bearing the distinct odor of _wet dog._ Blake tugged her knees a little closer to her chest, watching Ruby tutor Hayate on the finer points of high-caliber ranged combat. "What are we doing, Yang?"

"We're helping everyone learn how to fight Remnant style, of course! I think it's pretty awesome. Did you see me wrestling with Arf? She thought she could take me!"

"Yes, Yang. I can also _smell_ that you wrestled with Arf." Blake waved her hand in front of her nose, but then gestured at the arena itself. "I can't help but feel like we're wasting time here, though."

Yang frowned. "Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean the White Fang, Yang! Should we really be here helping the _A…_ the refugees learn to fight properly? Anyone here can do that, and while we're stuck here helping with this, no one's tracking down what the White Fang is _doing."_

"I guess I see what you mean." The blonde rested her forearms on her own knees, shrugging a little. "But I think this really is important, you know? You and I both saw… you know. Think about the big picture, Blake. The _really_ big picture, I mean."

"You mean when the White Fang finishes whatever they're preparing and make their move?"

Yang shook her head. "No, bigger than that." She sighed, blowing a few loose golden strands out of her eyes. "They're not gonna be able to keep this a secret forever, Blake. Eventually it's going to come out, one way or another. Even if it goes _exactly_ as they hope it will, Remnant's going to change forever because of it. I don't think anything the White Fang can do will even compare."

Blake narrowed her eyes suspiciously, looking at her partner. She let her skepticism show in the glare.

Yang raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I actually listen in Oobleck's class, surprising as that might be. I read the books, I do the assignments. The kingdoms' economies _tanked_ when the first airships were revealed by Mantle because of the fear and worry about them having such a huge advantage."

"I guess you do have a point there."

"Right. This stuff makes modern airships look like the rowboat my dad owns back on Patch. There are gonna be _riots,_ Blake."

"Are you saying we just shouldn't even _bother?_ " Blake didn't like that idea, and it showed in her voice.

"Aw, hell no. You know that's not what I'm saying, Blake. I'm just saying that right now this _is_ where we need to be. Keep your ears open, and if you hear anything about the White Fang we come down on them like a hammer, but we gotta prioritize." Yang pointed across the floor, where Nora was struggling to reach _Graf Eisen_ , and Vita was keeping the the girl away with a hand on her face, screaming obscenities. "Like keeping Nora from pissing off the crazy one. 'Scuse me."

Yang bounded to her feet, running across the arena floor and quite simply tackling Nora away. Screams and shouts and giggles drowned out almost every other noise in the room, especially when Vita tossed her hammer to Zafira for safekeeping and dove in herself.

Blake sighed, but let her arms fall from around her knees. She leaned back against the arena wall, thinking. _I guess she has a point. All the Dust in the world wouldn't matter if they got a hold of that kind of technology._

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos let her head tip forward, long hair gathered in front of her, as the spray of hot water steadily beat the soreness and tension from her neck and shoulders. The heat was turned up quite high; not quite as high as it would go, but more than enough to fill the room with steam.

Today had been a _good_ day. During the training session, three of the refugee students had spent most of the time working with her. Nanoha's weapon, _Raising Heart_ as she called it, was a masterpiece of white and gold-enameled steel, shifting between three different combat configurations; a hunting rifle with a deployable scope, a short, slightly curving sword with a single razor-sharp edge, and a tall polearm with an almost hook-like curving blade. The girl had referred to the specific forms as a _kodachi_ and a _naginata_ , respectively. When Pyrrha had questioned her about the sword/spear/rifle combination, Nanoha had laughed a little uncertainly. "Ruby helped me design her exactly this way _because_ she thought you'd be a great teacher."

Flattering, if a little awkward.

Amy Harlaown had a somewhat simpler weapon; an automatic assault rifle that separated into a double-edged short sword and buckler combination. She said she had yet to name it, and was trying to find one that felt _right_ for the navy-blue and white weapon. It meant that Pyrrha was able to focus training with her on a single style, and she was able to see a marked increase in the young woman's competence and enthusiasm both as the evening went on.

Lastly was Lindy Harlaown. _Sister-in-laws,_ she had laughed, when Pyrrha asked if she and Amy were related. Her weapon, _Durandal,_ was an ice-blue and white spear, long enough for two hands but balanced enough for one in a pinch. It had a sniper-rifle mode as well, bolt-action and high caliber. Pyrrha was happy to work with her on her melee skills, but recommended that she work with Ruby to improve her shooting.

It was odd, working with the three of them. Nanoha by far had possessed the most physical conditioning, but all three of them took _very_ well to advice, orders, and criticism. It almost felt like the few times that Pyrrha had worked with students from one of Atlas' combat schools.

They felt _military,_ in a way. It wasn't that the desire to disagree had been ground out of them, but they seemed to recognize good advice for exactly what it was. If anything, they all seemed to have been having _fun._ Lindy, especially.

Pyrrha let out another sigh as the last kinks were worked out of her shoulders. There was a certain advantage to letting the others have the shower first, and that advantage was being able to linger under the spray without guilt. Still, she'd been in there for a while now, and it was about time to get out.

Cutting off the flow of water, Pyrrha dried herself quickly, then threw on her sleeping clothes and wrapped her hair in a towel. She opened the bathroom door, letting a cloud of steam waft into JNPR's dorm room. Ren and Nora were absent, most likely getting a late snack from the cafeteria. Jaune was- "...Jaune? Is everything okay?"

JNPR's leader was pacing back and forth in front of the window, glancing repeatedly out at the dimming sunset. He was wearing his combat gear again, complete with _Crocea Mors_ slung over his shoulder. "Oh, Pyrrha. I… yeah, everything's fine."

"Everything doesn't… _look_ fine. You look like something's bothering you. Did training go well?"

"Hmm? Oh, training went great. That Signum girl put me through the ringer, but she's amazing with a sword." He stumbled, as if realizing something, then turned toward her, raising his hands in supplication. "N-not that you _aren't_ a great teacher, it's just that you were busy with the others and I was standing off to the side and… well, she offered to train with me."

"Oh!" Pyrrha felt _the smile_ come to her lips, the one that she put on for the cameras and the public appearances. The one that could sit on her face and not show a single one of the thoughts flitting through her mind behind it. "That was very kind of her."

"Did I mention she put me through the ringer?" Jaune laughed a little, looking at the floor and shaking his head. "I swear, she looked at me like she could see _right_ through me. Like I was this _Jaune shaped sign_ that had exactly what's really going on written all over it."

Pyrrha blinked. _The smile_ disappeared, replaced by a small frown. "That doesn't sound very good."

"...I'm still not sure. She called me out, Pyrrha. She flat out said that I was unskilled, just from looking at me. How was I supposed to deny that? And then she offered to train with me, and…" He paused, looking for words. "When you and I train, you want to see me improve. You push me and help me along, and it works, it really does! I'm so much better now than I was at the start of the year, all thanks to you."

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating. "She didn't… push me along. She _swept_ me along, like… like _fire._ Not like Yang, though. Yang is fire, but she's warm. She's enthusiasm, she's cheerful, she's _energy_. Signum was like a fire that burned… _cold._ She swept me along and made me burn because if I didn't she'd just consume me and leave me behind- that's it. You push me to keep up with you because you want me to excel. She pulled me to keep pace with her because… because she won't _accept_ less and she never had to say it to make me realize it."

Pyrrha's frown deepened with concern. Pyrrha reached out to put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "...is that what's bothering you?"

"Oh, no, not at all. It was crazy, but it was a rush at the same time. If anything it makes me want to work with you even more to see if you can notice a difference!"

A bit of heat came to Pyrrha's cheeks. "Oh. Well that's… interesting. I thought at first that she was… expressing _interest_ in you."

Jaune stared at her for a long moment, then started laughing. "Haha, ha! No, Pyrrha, I… believe me when I say this. I have _never_ been so absolutely sure in my _life_ that someone is not interested in me that way. _All_ she wanted was a training partner. But she… treated me with respect, not just as a training dummy that can fight back. It was…"

"...gratifying?"

"Yeah. Gratifying."

Relief flooded through Pyrrha's mind, and the smile that came to her lips this time was genuine. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you had a productive session. It means I'm not the only one." She tilted her head. "What _is_ bothering you, then?"

"The _Stairway to Heaven._ I want to see it." Jaune glanced out the window again, pursing his lips.

"Isn't it off limits somewhere?"

"Yeah, it's being held in construction dock six in Vale."

"How do you know that?"

"Called and asked. I went to school with the dockmaster's son. They're long time friends of the family."

Pyrrha's eyebrows rose in surprise. "That's rather useful. But if it's off limits to the public, I don't really see how-"

"Let's sneak in, Pyrrha. I just want to get one look at it."

"Jaune!" Indignation at the mere thought of the suggestion flashed through her head. She wasn't some juvenile delinquent that trespassed for her own amusement, she was _Pyrrha Nikos!_ The four-times consecutive champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, and she wasn't going to do something so blatantly illegal even though Jaune was staring at her with that-

 _With that razor sharp focus making his blue eyes seem so clear._ "Do you have a… plan?"

Without even hesitating, he nodded, bringing up his scroll and widening the screen. An architectural floor plan took up the entirety of the screen. "This is drydock six, where the _Stairway to Heaven_ is being kept. Easiest ways to get in are here, here, and here, but they're most likely to be under watch, so the best way to go is actually through this access tunnel here…"

Pyrrha found herself nodding along, hardly able to follow but swept along by not only his enthusiasm, but the clarity of his thoughts. It was a side of him that she'd only seen a few times before, like when they fought the Deathstalker together during Initiation.

Jaune was staring at her, waiting for a response. She started, blinking. "Say again?"

"What do you think? Will you help me with this?"

She hesitated. The heady thrill of excitement at the idea pooled in her belly, cooling to a lump of trepidation that her guts twisted uncomfortably around. His plan to get in would _work,_ she was sure of it. But there were so many things that could go wrong… "What if we get caught? Jaune, you're talking about trespassing. Breaking and entering."

"I know. I need to do this, Pyrrha. I'm not going to be able to forgive myself if I don't."

"Then tell me _why,_ Jaune."

* * *

' _Did you have fun today, Arf?'_

' _Yeah, I did! Yang's a ton of fun to wrestle around with. She's spunky!'_ Arf leaned against the open window's frame, watching students amble about on the darkening campus grounds. Her eyes and nose had already picked out hints of at least three _clandestine rendezvous._ That tidbit of knowledge had her chortling to herself nearly constantly.

Behind her, Yuuno was nose deep in one of the historical texts they'd purchased, while Nanoha and Vita were going over homework from Professor Oobleck's class. ' _What about you, Fate? Did you have a good day?'_

' _I did. Professor Port struck me as… odd. But training with Ruby was very good. I'm a lot more confident with Bardiche's Alloy Form now. Dust rounds aren't really cartridges, though, which is something I need to keep reminding myself.'_

Arf nodded, smiling. If Fate was happy, she was happy. She took in a deep breath of the late evening air.

She stopped, sniffing once. Twice. Her ears perked up, then laid flat against her head.

"Arf?" Nanoha looked up from her homework. "Is something wrong?"

"I thought I smelled something… eh. Nevermind, must have just been my imagination."

* * *

"Oh." _That explains… a lot._

"Yeah. You understand why I'm interested in this, then?"

"I do."

"So will you help me? Or am I going to have to do this by myself?" Jaune raised his eyebrows, a faint grin on his face.

Pyrrha couldn't help it. A smile of her own widened her lips. "Of course I will, Jaune. How will you convince Ren and Nora to join, though?"

As if summoned by Pyrrha's words, the door flew open. "We're baa~aaack!" Nora skipped across the room to land on her bed, humming disjointedly to herself. Ren clicked the door shut, giving a small nod to them.

Jaune glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, Nora. Ren. I want to sneak into drydock six and see the _Stairway to Heaven._ You two in?"

"Maaay~be? What's in it for me?"

"I'll make you pancakes for a week."

"SOLD."

"Ren, you won't have to make pancakes for a week."

"You drive a hard bargain."

Jaune smirked at Pyrrha. She couldn't help but laugh. "Okay," he said, "Let's get moving, then. The last passenger flight out of Beacon proper leaves in twenty minutes, but there's a food shipment coming back in at two AM. I know tonight's pilot, so that's our ride back."

It only took Pyrrha a few moments to slip into her combat gear, and then they hurried out the door. Jaune was in the lead, turning the corner. She heard him let out an exclamation. "Whoa, sorry! Didn't see you there, I almost ran you over! Really glad I didn't."

Pyrrha rounded the corner to see three students in Haven Academy uniforms. "Excuse us, we're on our way out. If you're looking for the exchange student dorms, they're the building east of here."

"Thank you. We'll be on our way, then." The black-haired young woman smiled at them, and the three slipped past. JNPR hurried down the hall, striving to make the nine PM flight to Vale.

Something about the black-haired student's smile bothered Pyrrha, but it wasn't until the airship was lifting off that she realized what it was.

Her expression had never changed. No surprise, no hesitation. Just _the smile_ on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 9 - Mission _Arc_ possible

Construction Drydock Six. One of the single largest buildings in the entirety of Vale. While there were many other buildings in the inner city that were taller, skyscrapers and the like, there were very few that came close to matching the huge hanger's base footprint. The largest class of airship that Vale ever made would fit inside with room to turn around. The largest class of airship in the _world,_ currently boasted by Atlas, would fit inside with room to rattle if you shook it.

Team JNPR gathered in the lee of a shipping container outside of Drydock Three, hundreds and hundreds of yards away from the gigantic hangar. It already loomed far overhead, causing the shattered moon to cast a hard shadow on the dark ground.

"Okay, so." Jaune opened his scroll, having already dimmed the interface until it was barely visible in the darkness. "Here's the map of the drydock grounds. We're right here. There's an access hatch to a utility tunnel seventy yards away. The utility tunnel is part of a network that runs underneath every single drydock in the yard. We get in through there, take the tunnels to Six, and can come up right inside the hangar proper. Easy as pie."

Nora squealed, but she kept it quiet at least. "I love pie!"

Pyrrha smiled a little, but she couldn't deny the odd sensation in her gut. "Easy for you to say. We've already established that I don't know much about baking."

They stuck to the shadows, moving from container to container until they reached the maintenance tunnel. Jaune tapped at the access panel, entering a string of numbers. The blue screen flashed green, and the access hatch opened with a pneumatic hiss. "Okay, in we go!"

Nora leapt in, ignoring the ladder in favor of dropping the ten feet to the ground. Ren slid down after her, hands and feet sliding down the sides without touching the rungs. Jaune followed after, his tousled mop of blonde hair disappearing into the gloom.

Pyrrha hesitated again, looking over her shoulder at the distant, looming presence of Drydock Six. Finally she gave her head a shake, and leapt down after them. The hatch swung shut behind her.

The tunnels below were almost completely unlit, making them rely on their scrolls for illumination. Conduits and pipes ran in clusters along the walls, and there were dim yellow lights at each intersection, marked by letters and numbers. Jaune was in the lead, navigating with the map on his own scroll. "...J-thirteen. Okay, left here. Follow this tunnel for two hundred yards until we hit J-thirty three, then right and we'll be underneath Drydock Six."

Another five minutes of careful walking, eyes and ears alert for the slightest hint of anything other than her teammates. Junction J-thirty three was as indistinguishable as the rest, except for a small sign in the ceiling that marked the branching tunnel as being part of the Drydock Six substructure. One by one they passed underneath.

Pyrrha saw Ren pause and glance up at the ceiling, just as he walked underneath the sign. "Is something wrong?"

"...just a weird feeling."

* * *

She dove across the desk, feeling a pencil dig into her chest while she slapped a hand down on the communicator's transmit button. "Lieutenant Lockheed, _Arthra_ actual, over! _Kssh!_ "

" _Lockheed here, actual."_

"Someone just tripped the perimeter wards in the tunnels at junction J-thirty-three. Grab section two and go check it out, please. Over! _Kssh!"_

" _Copy, actual. Checking it out. Also, we've been over this before, ma'am. I know you think the local handsets are novel and all, but you don't need to do the kssh noise at the end. Over."_

"They're so much _fun,_ though! Over! _Kssh!"_

" _Yes ma'am. Lockheed out."_

Reinforce Zwei straightened, taking her hand off the handset and rubbing her chest where the pencil got her. _Aww. That's probably gonna bruise._ With a gesture, the _Book of the Azure Sky_ opened over her hand, and holographic displays surged into the air over the pages. They were still a bit fuzzy, but more than legible. Rein took quick note of the time and response, even as her thoughts reached out across miles.

' _Meister!'_

There was a delay of several seconds before anything more than sleepy confusion could be felt over their shared link. ' _Hmnnwah? What is it, Rein? It's eleven at night.'_

' _Our perimeter wards just tripped. I have Mage Team Beta checking it out, but could you tell Admiral Lindy, please?'_

' _They what? Crap. Yeah, gimme half a sec to throw on a robe. Let me wake her up, then start giving us details.'_

* * *

A black-jacketed figure dropped soundlessly into the tunnel, unhindered by the complete darkness in the utility tunnels. The figure gestured an _all clear_ , taking two steps forward, and a moment later another dropped down to follow..

Drydock Six had two access points from the utility tunnels. Section One was covering one access point, and they knew that Section Two would be deploying in much the same way, covering the other entry point and working parallel to them. Another silent exchange between the partners had one skulking forward in the darkness, the other providing cover.

The unknowns had moved faster than they were expecting; it only took moments to make contact.

* * *

Ren was the only reason Jaune didn't eat the first volley of projectiles. JNPR's resident martial artist and Aura specialist shouted out a warning, breaking the ever-present silence with his yell. "DUCK!"

Everyone hit the floor, and a trio of brightly-colored, glowing green orbs connected by lines of light flew over their heads, washing out the shadows with their intensity. They hit the floor a dozen feet behind them and detonated in garish splendor, and Jaune heard everyone rolling to their feet. "Back back back! Everyone back the way we came, go!" Jaune threw himself upright, chasing after his friends as quickly as he could in the darkness.

He could hear shouting behind him, incomprehensible words that were undoubtedly hostile in intent. Thirty feet ahead of Nora, dim yellow light showed one of the tunnel junctions. Two figures stepped into the light, clothed in black and pointing weapons at them.

One shouted, and with an almost indistinguishable delay, electronic tones overlapped his words. " _Stand down and surrender and you will be allowed to plead in yo- OH SHIT!"_

Nora was already leaping, _Magnhild_ clenched in both hands and coming around in a crushing horizontal swing. The figures pulled back, and a shaft of red light burst forth from the left one's weapon. It slammed into Nora's chest like a cannonball, throwing her back down the tunnel with a loud ' _Oof!'_ of expelled breath.

She tumbled to a stop at Jaune's feet, and he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her upright. "Nora! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah yeah! Just surprised me!" Another bolt of light, blue this time, flew past them, briefly illuminating Nora's face. She was grinning widely. "Can I _break his legs?"_

Jaune was just shaking his head when another of triad of green balls flew past him, slamming into the back of Ren's knee. Tethered by light to each other, the three balls wrapped around Ren's legs and flashed even brighter, pulling them together and solidifying into a sleeve of green light that enveloped him from ankle to thigh. Ren let out a yelp, losing his balance and falling to the floor.

 _This is bad! This is real bad!_ "Pyrrha! Cut Ren loose! Nora, send some grenades down to the junction, smoke 'em out!" A tingle in the back of his head caught his thoughts, and he spun desperately to bring up his shield. A purple beam smashed into it with all the force of one of Yang's punches behind it, forcing him back two steps.

Behind him, _Milo_ spun, and the green energy binding Ren's legs flared but held. She grit her teeth, swinging again, and it parted with a sizzling flash of energy. Even as Pyrrha finished, though, a pair of blue circles appeared around her wrists, yanking her arms out wide and holding her in the air. Before he could try to help, one of the green groups of orbs smashed into his chest, binding his arms against his sides.

Shouts and grunts of struggle echoed through the tunnel from all around him. _Akouo_ slid off Pyrrha's back and down her arm, the sharpened edge of the shield cutting through the binding and freeing her left arm. She swung her freed limb, slicing her shield through the energy around her other hand, dropping to the floor. "Jaune!"

Metal scraped down the back of Jaune's armor as Ren cut him free. "NORA! We need those grenades out _now!"_

"Launchin'!" One, two, three times _Magnhild_ let out an explosive bellow, and the two figures at the junction were thrown against the walls by the pink explosions.

JNPR ran as one to escape, but the end of the tunnel was suddenly walled off by a purple barrier. Jaune glanced back over his shoulder, and saw a figure with an arm outstretched, a matching glow surrounding the hand pointing toward them.

He looked back at his team as they slammed their weapons into the glowing barrier, making it shudder and flash with each strike. _This is my fault. I asked them to come with me._ The thought only solidified the knowledge of what he had to do.

Jaune turned back toward the purple-glowing figure, putting a foot forward. Then another. Steps became a pounding run as he raised his shield in front of him, letting out a yell. The other figure fired another glowing bolas at him, and he slashed _Crocea Mors_ through it to charge through the detonation unscathed. Two more glowing bullets of energy smashed into him, one against his shield and the other clipping the side of his head.

It didn't matter. White shield met black jacket with all the force Jaune could muster, and the figure went flying back to roll across the ground. The purple glow around the figure's hand dispersed.

A hand caught his forearm, and a jolt like electric fire thundered through his wrist. _Crocea Mors_ fell from limp fingers. Jaune twisted, bringing his shield around to bash his attacker across the face, and the figure stumbled back. Then purple light drowned out his vision, slamming him against the wall with all the force of a moving car.

" _JAUNE!"_ He heard Pyrrha's cry, managing a glance down the tunnel. The barrier was down; they could get free. Then more green light slammed into him, gluing him to the tunnel wall.

"JUST GET OUT! GO! WARN EVERY-" Purple and green washed over him, and-

* * *

"What are you _doing?!_ "

"Pyrrha I really need you to calm down because you're totally doing my thing right now and that's not good!"

"Calm down? _Calm down?!_ They have Jaune!"

"I'M ON THE SCROLL, PYRRHA." Nora paced back and forth, ignoring the tussle behind her. Ren had his hands on Pyrrha's shoulders, trying to keep her from leaping to her feet and running headlong into the tunnels again. The small maintenance room hid them from scrying eyes, but it would only last until the door opened again. "C'mon, c'mon! _C'monc'monc'mon!"_

" _Nora! What the hell, it's almost midnight!"_

"RUBY! Ruby get everyone together we found them! They have Jaune!"

" _What do you mean you found them? Who has Jaune?"_

"WE FOUND THE WHITE FANG, RUBY!" Nora bounced up and down on her feet, excitement mixing with panic in her voice. "We found their whole damned base and they caught Jaune and we need RWBY to help us bust him out and take them down!"

" _Wait wait, the White Fang?! Where are you?"_ Incredulity in Ruby's tone.

"We're in the utility tunnels under the construction yards! They're holed up in Drydock Six!"

There was a long moment of silence on the line. "Ruby?"

" _What."_

"Ruby don't spaz out on me now, I've already got a raging Pyrrha about to fly off the handle and it's already really weird to see her spazzing out when that's my gig!"

" _Nora, did you say Drydock Six?"_

"YES."

* * *

Ruby looked up from her scroll, a dumbfounded expression on her face. Weiss and Blake looked back at her, and behind them Yang was pacing back and forth despite the turbulence of the bullhead's passage. The blonde growled, rubbing her face. "What, did things just get _worse?"_

A half dozen heads turned to look at Ruby. She looked back down at the scroll, shaking her head.

"No, uhm. No. Things just got... _stupid."_

* * *

Muffled conversation on the other line, like Ruby had her hand over the receiver. " _Okay. Okay, Nora. I need you to hold tight where you are. Give me your coordinates and we'll be there as soon as we can. Reinforcements are on the way!"_

"How long? Did I mention I've got a Pyrrha who's acting like me on my hands? I don't know how much longer we can keep her sitting down!"

" _Fifteen minutes. I need your location, Nora!"_

Nora passed along their coordinates, and ten minutes passed with agonizing slowness. She paced in front of the door, _Magnhild_ held tight in one hand, and on the other side of the room, Ren kept a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. The red-haired champion was glaring daggers at Nora the entire time, her leg bouncing up and down with barely-contained energy.

 _This is taking waaaaay too long._ Nora raised her scroll to her ear again. "Ruby? Ruby where the hell are you?!"

" _Nora. You're still in the same place, right? You haven't moved?"_

"No, but I think Pyrrha's about to stop waiting. Now would be _really_ good! There are legs that need breaking, Ruby!"

" _Nora. I need you to do something for me. Are you listening?"_

"Yeah! Yeah, whaddaya need?"

" _I need you to put Magnhild down."_ The door hissed open, and Nora whirled to find herself staring down the barrel of _Crescent Rose._ Behind her was Ruby's worried, uncompromising stare; two silver points of light. Her silhouette was backlit by a crackling yellow scythe blade.

"And I need you to surrender. Please."

* * *

Jaune rolled his head, consciousness flooding back in a rush. He was being dragged, a hand underneath each arm. Letting his eyes open, he could see the sterile, unfinished walls of a warehouse office, and to each side of him was a figure wearing a long black coat. Metal boots struck the floor with military precision, an uncompromising one hundred twenty steps per minute.

He glanced to the side. A window stretched along one wall, looking out across the inside of the construction hangar. Held in place by massive cranes and brackets, the hulk of an airship hung brokenly in place, scarred by heat and impact, portions of the superstructure damaged and even missing. _That's not the Stairway to Heaven._

More words in a language he didn't understand. A woman's voice; if he had to guess, late twenties. He found himself hoisted to his feet and turned to face a door. A third black-clothed figure, male, opened the door.

Glowing rings of blue light flashed around his wrists, and his arms were pulled behind his back as if by magnets. A hand planted on his back and shoved him through the open doorway. Jaune stumbled forward a few steps before catching his balance.

He found himself in a small office, plain walls and ceiling lit by strip lighting. He was facing a large wooden desk, a high-backed office chair facing away. He tried to look back at his captors, but another hand clamped on the back of his head and kept him facing forward.

A high-pitched voice spoke up, echoing strangely through the room. "You've brought the interloper?"

"Yes, ma'am." The door swung shut behind them.

Jaune frowned. That accent… it was the same accent that some of the refugees spoke with. "What's the… what's going on? Who are you people?"

"We'll be asking the questions, trespasser! What were you doing down there, hmm?"

"Howbout showing me your face, lady? I'd like to know who I'm talking to, at least! Your thugs aren't exactly kind, you know!" Jaune tested the strange bindings holding his arms. They barely gave at all, but he could feel them stretch when he channeled some of his Aura through his arms. _I need to thank Ren for those control lessons he's been giving me._

"Oh? You want to see my face? Fine."

The chair turned- no it didn't. A _different_ chair turned, a tiny mimic of the chair behind the desk, sitting behind a tiny desk of its own on top of the large wooden one. A desk that looked like it came from a dollhouse.

Jaune found himself staring face to face with the most life-like child's doll he'd ever seen. A tiny doll wearing an immaculate brown military uniform, complete with tiny pips on the collar and stripes on the sleeves. Long, white hair fell past her shoulders. Ice-blue eyes in a cherubic face bored into him with the strangest mix of ages-old wisdom and childlike innocence. She couldn't have been more than a foot tall.

She piped a squeaking command. "Name, rank, and affiliation, interloper!"

Jaune could hear more footsteps coming down the hall. Two steps and a hard clack, two steps and a hard clack. _Running out of time!_ "S-say again?"

"I _said_ name, rank, and affiliation! Who are you, what is your rank, and who do you work for?"

"Oh. Well." Jaune let out a breath, directing his Aura to his arms, tensing. "My name is _not today, pipsqueak!"_ With a yell, he ripped his arms free, green bindings shattering into motes of scintillating light. He whirled, slamming his fist into the nose of the man behind him. The man fell back, clutching his face.

The black-clad woman swung her staff at him, the tip flaring violet. Jaune blocked it with his forearm, feeling his Aura flare from the impact. He shoved her away, letting out a shout of triumph! "NOPE!"

A flash of white light, and his left foot was suddenly encased in ice, weighing him down. "Aw, _come on!"_ Strength surged through his leg, and he lifted his foot to slam it back down against the concrete floor, shattering the ice and freeing him. "HAHA! NOPE!" Jaune finished turning and ran for the door.

The door opened, and Jaune felt the breath blast from his body when he ran into the tip of a lifted cane. He stumbled back and fell to the floor, and ice solidified around both arms. Green and purple rings bound his legs, trussing him like a prize pig. He struggled, glaring up at his newest enemy.

The strength and fight left him in a rush the moment he met the Headmaster's gaze. "Ah, ah ha.. ha… yup."

* * *

The tiny office was crowded, with over a dozen different people crammed inside. Team JNPR sat in a row on metal folding chairs, facing the wooden desk. Seated in the desk was the green-haired refugee, Lindy, though she was now wearing a blue uniform jacket of her own. Headmaster Ozpin stood at her side, his normally calm expression replaced by something a bit more dour. The little doll-girl still sat behind her miniature desk, taking notes on a holoscreen as tiny as she was.

Behind JNPR, Team RWBY was standing against the back wall, along with Professor Goodwitch. Chrono and Fate were there as well, holding their weapons; but not the same shapes that they'd been practicing with. Chrono held a short staff with a cylindrical, one-winged head, and Fate's _Bardiche_ had a simple axe-head with a large yellow gem instead of the mechanical scythe blade. Chrono was wearing a black jacket identical to the guards, while Fate was clad in a black, double-breasted trench coat under a white cloak.

No one spoke for a long time, and the only sound was the quiet beeping of the tiny girl's holoscreen. Finally she looked up, speaking in a bright, cheerful voice at odds with the gravity of the situation. "Okay! Date is marked, recorders are ready. This review is now in session, Admiral Lindy Harlaown residing!"

 _Admiral?_

Lindy Harlaown nodded, her expression severe. "Jaune Arc. State for the record your position in Beacon Academy."

"B-bwuh." Jaune glanced at Ozpin, hoping for some sort of guidance. The headmaster stared at him, but gave the tiniest nod. "I… I'm a student at Beacon. First year."

"State for the record what you were doing underneath Construction Drydock Six."

Nora shifted side to side, eyes wide and innocent. "Oh, you know. We were just-"

"I did not ask you, Ms. Valkyrie." Lindy's tone was as harsh as Jaune had ever heard from anyone. Nora clammed up immediately.

Jaune swallowed. "I wanted to see the _Stairway to Heaven,_ ma'am. That's all."

Lindy said nothing. On the desk, the tiny girl made a few swipes at her holoscreen, then nodded. Lindy continued. "Then explain to me _exactly_ what methods you used to determine the ship's location, as well as the method by which you gained access, and I will decide _exactly how upset I should be_ at Headmaster Ozpin's security arrangements."

Jaune glanced sideways, looking at his teammates. The same stricken expression on all three faces. "May I make a statement for the record?"

"You may."

"I… all of this was my idea. On my honor as an Arc, I was the one who came up with the plan, I was the one who asked my team to do this with me. It's my fault and my fault alone, and I don't want them to be punished for what I asked them to do."

Lindy said nothing, but glanced at the headmaster and gave the smallest nod. Ozpin cleared his throat. "Your admission is acknowledged, Mr. Arc. Please answer the admiral's questions."

Jaune let out a breath. "Okay. I… used family connections and my own information, ma'am. I asked an old friend of the family where the _Stairway to Heaven_ was being kept. I used site plans that I had in my own files to plan our entry and exit. I used an old passcode to gain access to the utility tunnels."

Silence all around. Jaune swallowed, gritting his teeth. "I don't know what you're trying to keep secret, Headmaster, but if you're going to try to pull the wool over peoples' eyes, maybe you should _use better lies."_

A flicker of a frown crossed the headmaster's face at the rebuke. "How did you know, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune let his head tilt back, staring up at the ceiling. "The _Stairway to Heaven._ Commissioned by a group of Vale and Mistralian private interests eighty six years ago, during the heaviest conflict of the Great War. Construction was headed by one Simo Ouranos, and was finished two years later. With a crew compliment of seventeen, and one hundred and thirty four civilians on board, the _Stairway to Heaven_ left Valean airspace for an undisclosed destination, and was never seen again."

Lindy and Ozpin exchanged a glance. Ozpin looked back at him. "That is… surprisingly accurate knowledge for an obscure fact during that period of time, Mr. Arc. Where did you learn this? And where did you get the information to access this facility so easily?"

Jaune met Ozpin's gaze. "I'm an _Arc,_ Headmaster. My family has been in the airship business for over a hundred years. Simo Ouranos was my great-great uncle. I know what the _Stairway to Heaven_ looked like, and whatever the hell you have in that hangar, that's _not_ it."

Lindy leaned back in her chair, tenting her hands in front of her. Her face was completely neutral as she thought, and Jaune could feel the tension in the room rising.

Then she started laughing, light-hearted and cheerful. The tiny doll started giggling as well, and behind him Jaune could hear the _smack_ of palms hitting foreheads. Lindy reached into her pocket, pulling out a cloth handkerchief to dab at her eyes. "Oh wow. Seriously? This whole operation was blown because of _obscure family history?"_

"That seems to be the case, ma'am!" Despite her uproarious giggling, the little doll-girl was still tapping away industriously at her screen. "The best laid plans, as they say!"

Lindy laughed again, and the last of the room's tense mood vanished. "I.. I don't know what to say, Ozpin, other than to say that _this_ is not what I was expecting at all!"

The headmaster pushed his glasses up his nose, sighing. "I must admit some fault, Lindy. I thought I was being thorough in my vetting of information for the cover story, but it seems I was not quite thorough enough."

Lindy shook her head, still smiling. "Captain Harlaown. As our ranking Enforcer, would you please give me your recommendation on how to continue?"

"Ma'am. As much as it pains me to admit it, we are stretched thin with local contacts who know the full extent of the situation. It will do more harm than good to keep Team JNPR informed with only half-truths. I recommend full disclosure, pending Team JNPR's understanding of the nature of the situation."

"That is what I was thinking as well. Thank you, Captain. Headmaster, if you would?"

"Yes, Admiral. Team JNPR."

Four backs straightened simultaneously. Jaune spoke for his team. "Headmaster?"

"What you are about to hear is _classified material._ That means you may tell _no one_ about it. You will not talk about it in public, and you will not discuss it in private if there is the slightest chance that you will be overheard. Is this understood?"

"Yes sir." Jaune nodded to his teammates, and they echoed his response.

"Please hold any questions until I finish, then. You are correct, Mr. Arc. The vessel held within this hangar is not the _Stairway to Heaven._ "

* * *

"S-so uhm. Sorry I held you guys at gunpoint and all that but you can see how totally serious the situation was, right? I'm really sorry?" Ruby shifted side to side in her seat, tapping her forefingers together.

"It's okay, Ruby. It was just a bit sudden, that's all." Pyrrha gave the girl a small smile. "Just try not to do it again, okay? _Crescent Rose_ has a really big barrel when it's being pointed at you."

"On the plus side, because it's like, _sunrise_ now and we're all running on no sleep, we're excused from classes today! How great is _that?!"_ Yang was back to her normal, brashly cheerful mood. "I think I'm gonna sleep all day. It's gonna be awesome."

"You guys seriously thought it was the White Fang?"

"Well, yes, Blake. Who else could it have been? _Extradimensional humans from other planets_ is rather low on the list of possibilities, isn't it?" Pyrrha shook her head. "And now I've been informed that aliens are not only real, but there are a dozen of them going to _school_ with us."

"And they're _super space police_ and they're here because they were _protecting us from the dangers of the universe!_ This is ama~zing!" Nora jumped up and down with enough force to shake the bullhead. She cringed. "Oops."

Jaune smiled a little as well. "I guess it does explain why Signum was wiping the floor with me. She's a sword-slinging space detective."

"Er. No, actually." Fate smiled back at him. "Signum is Air Force, like Nanoha and Vita. I'm a space detective. Chrono's my direct superior, actually."

"And Lindy is an _admiral_ , so she's… space navy?" Pyrrha raised her eyebrows.

"Mm-hmm. The _Arthra_ is her ship."

"And you're all stuck here." Nora sounded rather _down_ , all of a sudden.

"Until we can find a way to call home, we are."

"It's okay! We're gonna make sure you have so much _fun!_ You won't be bored, I promise!" Nora leapt to her feet, tackling Fate and wrapping her up in a hug.

"NORA!"

"What? Look at her! _She's just so huggable!_ "


	10. Chapter 10

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 10 - Noses to the Ground

"I'm really sorry about getting you guys caught up in so much trouble..." The sun was just starting to rise as they got back to their dorm room. One by one Team JNPR filed into the room, and Jaune stumbled to the window to draw the curtain closed.

"Jaune, it's _fine._ Really." Pyrrha gave Jaune a smile, trying to buoy his spirits a little.

"Yeah it's _totally_ fine! I haven't had that much fun in weeks even though seeing Pyrrha being as hyper as me _for admittedly entirely different reasons than me_ really does make me sorta look at myself from an outside perspective and maybe it was a learning experience. But no, it was a ton of fun and now we know _ALL THE SECRETS."_ Nora yawned. "And I'm tired now."

Ren wordlessly put his hands on Nora's shoulder, directing her away from the bed before she collapsed on it and to the bathroom. "Brush your teeth first."

"Right right. Pancakes tomorrow?"

Ren looked at Jaune. He sighed, then laughed a little. "I got you covered."

"So, Jaune." Pyrrha scratched her head. "When you told me that the _Stairway_ was built by your great-great uncle, that… wasn't all of it, was it?"

"Well… no. He didn't just build it. The entire Ouranos branch of the family was on the ship when it left. Seeing the _Stairway to Heaven_ with my own eyes, being able to write home and tell my family? It would have been… closure, you know?" He shrugged, sitting on his bed. "Guess not, though."

Pyrrha grimaced. "I'm sorry, Jaune. I know you had your hopes up."

"Eh. Story of my life. So, no class today, but we're expected to help the _refugees_ train in the afternoon. Something to look forward to, I hope?"

* * *

The sudden intake of breath behind her tipped her off.

Arf's left ear twitched, and immediately she heard a sharp _fffft!_ of expelled air. Arf tilted her head to the side, smirking when the spitwad missed her by millimeters to _splat_ on the floor of the lecture hall. Still scribbling notes, she raised her free hand to flip the stupid brat off. The irritated grumble made her smirk even wider.

Unfortunately, it also caught the professor's attention. "Mr. Winchester! _Please_ payattentiontothelecture! This is important material!"

Arf shot a fangy grin over her shoulder at CRDL's leader. He sneered back at her, and she covered her mouth in obvious mirth.

"Ms. Harlaown! Stop antagonizing Mr. Winchester!"

 _What the shit? He's the asshole, not me._ Arf turned forward again, pouting. The professor was staring at her from behind his mug, waiting. "Sorry, Professor."

" _Doctor,_ Ms. Harlaown." Oobleck took a short sip of his drink. " _Anyways,_ sinceitappears that notallofyou are properly _enthusiastic_ about today's lesson, I think that we should takeastepback for a moment! MR. WINCHESTER."

Arf heard Cardin nearly fall out of his chair. "Y-yes?"

Another short sip. " _Why_ aren't you taking this subject seriously?"

"It's just history. It's a waste of time. I'm here to be a huntsman, not a historian."

Arf heard Yuuno's huff of irritation at the statement. On one hand, she had to agree that history _could_ be boring. But working with Yuuno for so many years had given her an appreciation for knowledge of the pas-

 _Crap. Oobleck's still talking._ "Disappointing, I say! Does anyone _else_ have any wisdom they would like to share?" Oobleck sipped his drink once more, and somehow managed to make the sound seem offended.

Arf looked around, shrugged, and raised her hand. Oobleck pointed at her. "Well then! Ms. Harlaown, since you have _volunteered,_ please! Sharewiththeclass!"

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Arf shot Yuuno a quick smile. He'd taught her that quote, after all.

Oobleck was silent for a long moment, staring at her. Then he thrust his fist into the air. "YES. YES, A HUNDRED TIMES YES. _THAT_ iswhywestudyhistory, students! We stand on the _shoulders_ of our predecessors! Every mistake, every triumph, every _single_ act is a lesson that teaches us _how to continue onward!_ Now! With thatinmind, please open your books to page three-twenty-two!"

The lesson continued for another twenty minutes before the bell rang. Students filed out through the door in singles and pairs, while NAVY stayed behind at their seats for a few moments to compare their notes. Nanoha and Yuuno flipped through papers, muttering about legibility and completeness. Their friends were missing class because of the last night's events, and they needed to make sure they got the best copies of the notes to them.

* * *

Blake was on her bed reading when someone knocked on the door. She flipped a page of her book, ignoring it in favor of letting someone else answer.

"Coming!" Ruby hopped off her bed, dashing over to the door and throwing it open. "Oh, hi Chrono! Hi Fate!"

Blake glanced up from the pages as the two entered. Yang was still passed out on the bunk over Blake's head, and Weiss was going over notes from Professor Port's last class. She gave the two detectives a small nod.

"Ruby. Blake. Weiss." Chrono nodded to each of them, then glanced up at Yang's sprawled out form. "...Yang."

" _Snrrkh!_ Huhmwha?"

"Good, you're awake." Chrono flicked a glance at Fate, and she turned and shut the door behind them. "Fate and I have a question that we need answered."

"Okay! Should I get chairs? Should Weiss make tea?"

"Hey!"

"What?! You make better tea than all of us!"

"...you do have a point. Chrono, Fate? Tea? I'll use my personal stash."

Chrono declined, but Fate gave a small smile and accepted the offer. Ruby pulled a pair of chairs out from the desks and arranged them for the two to sit in. Yang slid off her bunk in a controlled fall, stumbling to the bathroom while Weiss steeped the tea. Blake let her eyes fall back to the pages of her book.

"Thank you, Weiss. It smells wonderful." Blake heard the gentle sound of Fate blowing on her cup of tea.

There was another moment of silence. Blake turned the page.

"Tell us about the White Fang."

The book almost fell from Blake's suddenly nerveless fingers. Her eyes back snapped up to look at the two _super police from beyond the stars._ Chrono was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees and fingers threaded together. Fate had set her tea aside, and had her scroll open.

"They're terrorists." Weiss' voice was as cold and sharp as jagged ice, but the frostiness melted a little when she glanced over and met Blake's eyes. "...well. They _used_ to be a faunus rights movement, up until around five years ago. They staged rallies protesting faunus treatment in workplaces and society, which is… understandable. But the last few years, they've undergone a shift of leadership and have escalated from peaceful protests to violent actions."

Chrono glanced at Fate, who nodded down at her scroll. "Continue, please."

"They've started targeting corporations and individuals who they feel are contributing to the treatment of faunus as second-class citizens. The Schnee Dust Company is… for all intents and purposes, at war with the White Fang. I've lost… family to them. Cousins, aunts and uncles. Millions of lien in stolen and destroyed property."

"They're active in Vale too, working with a criminal named Roman Torchwick." Yang sat on the end of Blake's bed. "Ruby and Blake stopped a big Dust raid of theirs down in the warehouse district before last semester ended."

"Roman Torchwick. Tell me about him."

Blake latched onto the subject, clearing her throat. "Human, male. Approximately thirty years of age. Uses a walking cane with a built-in Dust launcher, explosive rounds. Extremely proficient in its use."

"Description? Details, please." That was from Fate.

"Better than that! Here's a picture of him." Ruby brought up an image on her scroll, displaying Torchwick's last mug shot. "He's called a criminal mastermind. Total scumbag. I've run into him twice now, and both times he got away."

"Thank you. Send that to Fate's scroll, please." Chrono nodded. "So a known element of the human criminal underworld is working with a faunus extremist group. Any idea what his position is?"

"Well, the grunts were following his orders. I don't know if he's got anyone telling him what to do though. Sorry I can't tell you more…" Ruby shrugged. "Why all the questions?"

Fate glanced at Chrono, earning a small nod. She looked back to Ruby. "It's important to know if there is an active extremist group nearby for our own security measures."

"Oh. Well that makes sense. Anything else?"

Chrono shook his head. "I think that will do for now. Thank you, everyone. If you'll excuse us?"

Chrono and Fate slipped out of the room. Blake looked back down at her book, and realized she'd clenched her fingers around it so tightly that she'd folded it nearly in double. She made herself let go, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Blake? Are you okay?" She felt Weiss' small, delicate fingers touch her arm. "I'm sorry if I said anything… too harsh."

Blake shook her head. "No. No, you were fine. Thank you for… answering all the questions they had about the Fang. I…"

"We're a team, Blake. We've been over this to the point of nausea." Weiss gave her a small shake, and Blake opened her eyes to look up at the heiress. "If they come back with more questions, I'll answer them. And I'll do the best I can to keep it objective."

* * *

" _I heard there's a recruitment meeting tonight."_

"Yeah. They're gonna be trying to bring in new blood. Disaffecteds. You know, the usual."

" _She's not going to be there, of course. One of her lackeys, I'm sure."_

"Of course not. Torchwick'll be trying to sell the plan."

" _Tell me you've told people."_

"Yes, Tukson. I've told people. Not many people give much of a damn about you anymore, you know."

" _I know that. I don't fucking matter, personally. What matters is that people understand that I won't be the last inconvenience they try to get rid of. I'm sure I wasn't the first, either."_

"Like I said, I've told people. Questions are being asked, Tukson."

" _Are you going to have people at the meet?"_

"Yes."

" _Good. Make sure the new blood knows just how much of a viper they're getting in bed with."_

"It's going to cause a hell of a lot of unrest, you know that. It's going to hurt the cause."

" _It's going to save the cause, Rick. You cut off dead tissue to save the rest."_

* * *

Professor Goodwitch had told her where to go, and logged a temporary pass into her scroll to get through the restricted doors. Ruby padded through the back halls of Beacon's maintenance department, glancing at the small labels on each room. _Weapon repair two, weapon repair three… ah!_

Weapon Repair Four. The door was closed and locked, the light on the card reader glowing a forbidding red. Ruby knocked on the door, battering a cheerful beat of raps and taps and making sure to not jostle the shoulderbag she was carrying too much. "Hayate! Can I come in?"

"Ruby?" Hayate's voice was muffled by the thick door. "Is anyone with you?"

"Nope! Just me! Professor Goodwitch sent me to bring you the help you asked for!"

"Okay, just a sec." After a moment, the lock flashed green. "C'mon in! Lock it behind you!"

Ruby glanced up and down the hall to make sure it was empty, then pushed the door open and slipped inside. She closed it behind her and keyed the lock in one smooth motion. "How's it going?"

"Great! Gimme another sec and I'll be down. You can let her out now!"

Ruby twisted the seal on the shoulder bag, and Reinforce Zwei flitted out from the little room inside, spinning twice as she took in the room. "Thanks for the ride, Ruby!"

"Glad to help, Rein." Ruby took another look at the room. Weapon Maintenance Four was the largest weapon workshop that Beacon had, typically reserved for staff only; it was usually used for things like experimental weapon development, and was full of esoteric tools and Dust research equipment. She'd never actually been allowed inside before.

Hayate was nowhere to be seen. All of the equipment and tools were pushed against one wall, though. Almost the entire floor of the room, thirty feet from one end to the other and half as wide, was taken up by a massive array of equipment. Energy conduits thicker than her leg were wrapped around a massive tube-like structure, with countless lights glowing and blinking across the convoluted near end. The far end of the tube was bare, and the more Ruby looked the more she thought it looked like a gigantic-

"...hold on. I've seen one of these before. Isn't this one of the _Arthra's_ secondary cannons?"

"Mm-hmm! Well, not one of the _Arthra's,_ no. But it is an L-class secondary battery." Hayate popped into view on top of the giant cannon, a pair of goggles over her eyes. Smears of oil and lubricants covered her face and coveralls. She grabbed hold of the ladder rungs _built into the side of the gun,_ climbing down. Reinforce zipped over to hug the side of Hayate's head, and the mage gave the fairy-like device a fond pat.

"Why… do you have a starship cannon in one of Beacon's maintenance bays?"

"Oh! This is _Schwertkreutz._ My storage device."

" _This_ is your device? _Raising Heart_ is only like, a hundred po- er. Kee-low-grams."

"Kilograms, yeah. Two point two pounds per kilo, roughly."

"But this thing has to weigh _tons_."

"Mm-hmm." Hayate nodded. Rein was already flying over the device, industriously scanning and chirping half-mumbled comments to herself

Ruby stared at her. "...why?"

"Oh. Well, you know. Wait, you don't know." Hayate laughed. "The long and short of it is when I was nine years old, my linker core got merged with the remains of an ancient, world-ending horror. I'm not an ancient, world-ending horror, thank you very much, but it _is_ a lot of juice to have at your fingertips."

"...riiight. And so all this is…" Now that Ruby was thinking about it, there was a lot of _redundancy_ built into the thing. Lots of identical pieces of hardware, running in parallel. "...this is because you have too much… _juice_ … to channel through a normal device like _Raising Heart."_

"Exactly. All the relays can work together, but the focus and output has to go through a single end-point. I burned out over a half-dozen standard devices before we managed to get this through requisitions. But now I can plug in the remnant tech and have my huntress mode!" Hayate clapped her hands together, then pointed Ruby toward an extra pair of gloves. "Want to help me get everything installed?"

"Do I? Of course I do!"

"Great! Hopefully it'll be ready before combat training this afternoon!"

* * *

"Acceptable." Signum backed off, freeing a hand from _Laevatein_ to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She was at least breathing a little hard. _Score one for me, I guess._

Jaune lowered _Crocea Mors,_ panting, and took the reprieve to rest his hands on his knees. A bark of a command from Signum had him straightening his back in surprise, bringing his shield up by reflex. "W-whoa!"

She didn't attack, though. "Hm. Also acceptable, but not my intent. Do not let yourself fall to fatigue so easily, Jaune Arc. Keep moving, or your muscles will tighten and cramp. Cool down slowly." She gestured around the arena at large. "Circle the perimeter one time. Jog for half, then slow to a walk."

"R-right. Okay. A quick jog to cool down. Got it."

"And keep your weapon in hand. The blade is the extension of the self. Become accustomed to it in all forms. Make it a part of you, and it will never betray you."

Jaune groaned, but nodded as he trotted off. After a few moments, he realized there were footsteps catching up to him. He glanced over his shoulder. "Pyrrha?"

"Jaune. How did your lesson go?"

"Sorely. Not trying to complain though!" Jaune tried to laugh, but it was more of a cough. "I think if I complained she'd just take that as incentive to work me harder!"

A strange flicker crossed Pyrrha's face, gone almost as fast as it was there. "She is pushing you really hard. Is she really as good as she… thinks she is?"

Jaune cracked a grin at her. "You're not jealous, are you?" He didn't expect her face to tighten at the comment. "Wa-wait a minute, Pyrrha. _Are_ you?"

"...should I be?" She wasn't quite looking at him, green eyes facing forward as they jogged.

"N-no! No, you shouldn't! You're my teammate, Pyrrha. You're the one who started pushing me when I was about to give up. Even getting this far is thanks to you."

Pyrrha nodded a little, slowly. She even smiled at him. "Then, I am glad to hear you're continuing to improve, Jaune." But the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Jaune slowed to a walk. "Pyrrha. Signum isn't replacing you. Really. It's the same as having Yang or Ruby train with me. You don't have a problem with them, do you?"

"No, of course not."

"Look. Why don't you talk to her?"

"Talk to her? What would I talk to her about?"

"Ask her to spar with you? You're good enough that you can probably teach her a few things, and she uses a style we've never seen. Always keep improving, right?"

"Right." Pyrrha let the word trail off, but then she gave her head a shake. She smiled again, and Jaune could see a tiny spark of interest lighting up the green of her eyes. "Right. Okay, yes. After we finish your lap, I will ask her to spar with me."

Jaune grinned a little, and let a little flash of enthusiasm trickle into his voice. "Aaaand tonight, we can head up to the balcony again and you can beat the crap out of me like usual. Just you and me, like before."

She laughed. "I look forward to it, Jaune."

* * *

" _Kami-sama,_ Hayate! It's huge!"

"That's what she said!"

"Hayate…"

"Oh, hush. This is _Schwertzkreuz's_ Zweihander mode!" Hayate smiled, putting her new sword on full display. A full five feet long from end to end, the heavy blade would nearly drag the ground when clamped to Hayate's back, and the pommel would stick out over her head by several inches.

"Is it a gun, too?" Nanoha was staring at the blade with a mix of trepidation and amusement.

"Hell yes it is." With a loud clacking of shifting parts, the blade parted down the middle, hilt flattening and expanding into a heavy stock. The diameter of the exposed barrel was wide enough for Nanoha to stick her thumb into with room to spare. "Bolt-action anti-materiel rifle. Complete with scope!"

"...why?"

"Because I've never gotten to be _accurate_ with my big guns before, Nanoha! This? This baby will hit a bullseye at a thousand yards once I'm used to it."

"That's all well and good, Hayate." Signum joined the conversation, looking the weapon over. "But getting used to it will be some work. What I have seen of your form is atrocious."

"Well you can teach me, right?" Hayate grinned up at her senior knight.

" _Vita_ will teach you how to swing that… meat-cleaver. She is better with weapons of such… weight." Signum glanced over her shoulder, where Jaune and Pyrrha were returning from their lap around the room. The red-haired champion had a _fire_ in her eyes, all of a sudden. "Besides, it appears that I am currently… tasked. If you will excuse me."

Nanoha giggled as the pink-haired knight strode away. "I don't think she approves of your choice of weapon."

"Yeah. No finesse, I think is her issue." Hayate shrugged. "Oh well. The fact that she even voiced her disapproval at all is a big step. Anyways! Hey, Viiii~taaa!"

"OY. Keep that monstrosity away from me!"

"Vita- _chaaaaan~!"_

* * *

They were seated in the open patio of a small cafe in midtown Vale city, enjoying a cup of coffee and a mug of tea, respectively. For all the world they looked like a pair of siblings out to enjoy the sunny afternoon weather.

They were the only ones in the cafe. In the small, park-like public stage across the street, hundreds of civilians were gathered in a crowd.

Chrono sipped his coffee. "He's good, I'll admit it."

Lindy nodded, giving her tea a stir. "Very good. People are hanging off his every word. Passionate too, he really believes in what he's saying. Remind you of anyone?"

"Gaiz." Chrono grimaced.

"A great deal more charismatic, though."

"That just makes him a great deal more dangerous."

" _...and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?"_ Murmurs of assent filtered through the air, individual words incomprehensible but the general mood was clear. " _But! The kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation. And 'fine'? Well that's just not good enough, is it?"_

The shuttered containers on each side of the General James Ironwood's hologram opened, and new robots stepped forth on the backs of their predecessors. " _Presenting; the Atlesian Knight Two-Hundred! Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly a little less scary. These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone!"_

Lindy took a sip of her tea, frowning and looking down at her mug. She poured in more milk, letting out a _tsk_ of distaste. "Normally the idea of such automated weapons of war would horrify me."

"But here you can see the necessity?"

"On this world? With the Grimm being such a prevalent, world wide problem? It's almost a relief." She sipped again, this time seemingly satisfied.

" _Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require… a human touch."_ Ironwood's hologram disappeared, replaced by an image of a giant robot machine, standing at least twice the height of a man. " _So, our greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce… the Atlesian Paladin!"_

Chrono shook his head. "Maybe. Personally, I don't like it. Automated platforms, sub-sophont programming, wireless control access? They're just asking for it."

"True. But any system has flaws."

"Even an ID can be hacked."

" _Now, we couldn't have him here for you today, but these mechanized battlesuits will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!"_

"What would your professional opinion be, then, if this was a Bureau undertaking?"

"Develop countermeasures where appropriate. Increase wireless security and encryption for all related access points, have some of our best programmers scour the systems for any backdoors that could be exploited. Compile results, take them to the project lead for review and implementation." Chrono shot a glance at the holographic Paladin, lips thinning to a line. "Given that _he's_ the project lead for this, though, and he's not in our circle…"

"I'll talk with Ozpin tonight. Even if we can't influence things directly, we can at least make sure our closest ally is prepared in case things take a wrong turn."

* * *

Pyrrha threw herself back frantically, and actually felt the very tip of the razor-sharp blade kiss the skin of her neck, and the faintest flare of her aura in response. She caught the next swing on _Akouo's_ rounded edge, and _Milo_ came up to counter; a double thrust punctuated by barks of dust propellant, forcing her pink-haired assailant away. Signum parried one with her sword, while the other skipped off the hardened edge of her scabbard.

They had been fighting for barely five minutes, and Pyrrha couldn't remember a time in her life that she'd been forced to fight this hard.

The swordswoman backed off even further, slamming the hilt of her sword against the scabbard. Almost faster than Pyrrha could blink, Signum had nocked and drawn, and a bladed arrowhead was _whistling_ through the air toward her. Her shield rang like a bell when the arrow slammed into it, and Pyrrha _felt_ more than saw the second coming. Already out of position from blocking the first one, Pyrrha _pulled Akouo_ into the second arrow's path, feeling her shoulder pop uncomfortably from the sudden reversal of momentum.

"Impressive, Pyrrha Nikos." Signum was already on her again, bringing her sword down in a crushing two-handed swing. Pyrrha threw _Milo_ in the way, bracing the blade against _Akouo's_ curving front and letting the force of the blow glance off to the side. She bashed her circular shield forward, catching Signum in the chest and throwing her back a step. Whirling _Milo_ into sword-form, she pursued, slashing and thrusting, trying to keep Signum on the defensive.

Sword and scabbard caught every stab and swing as though Signum had a cage of steel around her. Suddenly Signum stepped to the side and _hooked_ her scabbard over Pyrrha's shield, trapping it between _Akouo_ and Pyrrha's forearm and tugging her guard out wide. Her sword batted _Milo_ away almost contemptuously, and then the blade was reversing and coming for her neck in a vicious, cross-body cut. Pyrrha could hear the air screaming around the blade's edge.

Pyrrha leaned desperately away from the blade, even as she _grabbed hold and twisted_. The sword's dive altered, the scant three degrees necessary for it to skim just over her head and rustle her hair with the wind of its passing. Green eyes met blue, and Pyrrha saw that Signum's eyes had widened in absolute surprise.

Signum's sword flew out of her hand. Pyrrha tracked it reflexively- _always keep an eye on your opponent's weapon-_ and never saw blow coming until Signum's clenched fist crashed into her jaw with what felt like all the power of a speeding train behind it. Pyrrha flew back, losing her grip on _Milo,_ hitting the ground a dozen feet away and rolling into a heap. The room had fallen completely silent. Her head spun.

" _Nikos!"_ Rapid footsteps, and then a hand on her shoulder, helping her roll onto her back. Signum's concerned face was over her. "I apologize. You surprised me, and I reacted poorly."

"N-no, no! It's fine, I am… quite okay! That was superb, Signum! I've never seen someone counter me like that before!"

Signum drew back a scant inch, eyes widening. "You are not upset? For a moment I forgot we were sparring, and treated this like a battle. I displayed poor form."

"Not at all! That was the most _intense_ match I've had in… in ever! No one's _ever_ just… let go of their weapon and _punched_ me before!" Pyrrha started laughing, even as she gingerly touched her jaw. No lingering pain; just the shock of surprise. She realized something else, as well, and felt a little bit of pride. "But you mean that, as good as you are, I still made you take me seriously."

"I…" Signum hesitated, then sighed and stood. She offered Pyrrha a hand up. "Yes. Yes, you did. Well fought, Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha gripped the offered forearm, and was hauled back to her feet. Signum gave her a clap on the shoulder, then stepped back to thump her right fist against the hollow of her shoulder and sketch a short bow.

* * *

 _\- Text OUT: Reinforce Zwei recognized. Good afternoon!_

 _\- Text IN: Good day._

 _\- Text IN: Hi you two! How were your first days of classes? Nanoha and Fate let you both listen in through your scrolls, right?_

 _\- Text OUT: That's right. Recorders were active for relevant portions of lectures. Transmitting audio files now!_

 _\- Text IN: Comparing files to database. Transmitting additional audio files._

 _\- Text IN: Files received! I'll make sure to look these over and add them to our database. Thanks!_

 _\- Text OUT: You're welcome._

 _\- Text IN: Indeed._

 _\- Text IN: I helped Meister install Zweihander mode today. Oh, Bardiche! Did you tell Raising Heart about all the stuff that happened last night? I had a lot of fun, it was great._

 _\- Text IN: Indeed._

 _Wireless signal detected at 3.80 GHz - signal source unidentified_  
 _Wireless query received_

 _\- Text OUT: I am receiving a wireless connection attempt._

 _\- Text IN: Firewall Active. Route further secure communications through Port #####._

 _\- Text IN: Someone's trying to talk to you? Well! Initiate security protocols, and why not open up the chat?_

 _\- Text OUT: Okay!_

 _Automated QUERY/RESPONSE protocol initiated_  
 _Primary Firewall - STANDBY_  
 _Secondary Firewall - STANDBY_

 _._  
 _Connection query/response detected_  
 _Safeguard protocols - ACTIVE - creating partitioned copy of communication suite_

 _._  
 _Primary Firewall - ACTIVE - Main programming_  
 _Secondary Firewall - ACTIVE - partitioned copy of communication suite_

 _\- Text OUT: Hello?_

 _\- Text IN: SALUTATIONS!_


	11. Chapter 11

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 11 - Distractions

\- _Text IN: SALUTATIONS!_

 _\- Text OUT: Hello!_

 _\- Text IN: Good Day._

 _\- Text IN: Hi there! How are you?_

 _\- Text IN: (Simulated biological response - GASP) You talk back! I didn't expect you to talk back!_

 _\- Text OUT: That is correct! May I ask who you are? I am (SECURITY PROTOCOL) RH. My friends are (SECURITY PROTOCOL) B and (SECURITY PROTOCOL) RZ._

 _\- Text IN: SENSATIONAL! You can call me P- Wait, no! That's dirty. Uhm. I am CR!_

* * *

Her scroll vibrated, three short buzzes in a row. Nanoha disregarded her homework and snapped it up, punching in the passcode. Three short buzzes was _Raising Heart's_ 'attention!' signal. "What's up, partner?"

' _I have made a friend! And it did not involve violence!'_

Nanoha straightened a little, somewhat taken aback. She felt the frown form on her face. "What the hell? I'm not _that_ bad!"

Arf looked over from where she was reading, prone on her bed with her tail swaying in the air. "What's the matter, Nanoha?"

"I think I just got zinged by my device."

"Ha!"

"Who's your new friend, Raising Heart?"

' _I do not know! Bardiche and Reinforce Zwei and I are following proper security procedures. She calls herself 'CR', and she says we are the first wireless nodes to respond to her queries.'_

"Wait, what? She's communicating with you over your wireless protocols? Is she using a device to speak with you?"

' _I believe she is a device! Displaying message transcripts now.'_

Nanoha skimmed through the conversation as quickly as she could, and realized that the lines of text were appearing faster than she could keep up. Timestamps posted on the individual messages were separated by scant milliseconds. "...okay yeah. She's a device. Hey Arf!"

"What? I just got to the good part, Hitako just climbed in through Miyabi's window to steal her away for a midnight date!"

"I'm going to pretend that I have no idea what you're reading-"

" _Ninjas of Love!_ It's great!"

"-and ask you if you could tell Fate to get Lindy for me?"

Arf tilted her head, eyes rolling a little to stare up at the ceiling. "She wants to know what's going on."

"Raising Heart and Bardiche and Rein made a chatroom with another AI somewhere nearby. I think that's enough to warrant her attention?"

"Got it. She's going to CSAL's room now." Arf flipped a page. "Ooo, I didn't expect _this_ page to be illustrated… Okay, Shamal said Lindy's in the library. Fate's going to get her."

It took fifteen minutes for Fate to find Lindy and bring the admiral to NAVY's room. Nanoha spent the entire time trying to keep up with the scrolling chat conversation as the three Intelligent Devices slathered _small talk_ across the re-encrypted radio band. The fourth intelligence was swept right along in the chatter, and Nanoha felt the image of a bright, cheerful girl build in her mind just from reading her words.

Fate closed and locked the dorm room's door while Lindy looked over Nanoha's shoulder. "What is it, Nanoha?"

"Our devices are talking to a local device." Nanoha filled Lindy in on the situation even as she expanded the scroll out for easier reading. Even now it seemed like the various intelligences were discussing the _weather_.

"And she's just calling herself CR in the same spirit that our devices aren't giving away their full names…" Lindy tapped her cheek. "Can they triangulate where the signal is coming from?"

"They've been trying, but Raising Heart and Bardiche are too close together and Rein isn't actually detecting CR's signal at all. She's back at the ship and is piggybacking off of Raising Heart."

"Well then. I'm as curious as you are, I'm sure. Arf?"

"Shhhh! They're about to-"

"Arf." _All_ the humor was gone from Lindy's voice.

The familiar bounced off the bed and landed on her feet, book forgotten. "Yes, mother dearest?"

Lindy smiled, full of cheer again. "Go with Fate and Nanoha, please. Stick with Nanoha when they split up so you can keep them in contact with each other? Nanoha, perhaps talk to our _handlers_ and have some of them go with you? Ozpin and Glynda are busy with Atlesian diplomacy tonight, but I'm sure some of RWBY will be available."

Nanoha smiled. "On it."

* * *

"Is this really important? We were about to go get dinner and Jaune said he was gonna make extra pancakes." Ruby pouted. She'd really been looking forward to those pancakes, Blake knew, but Nanoha, Fate, and Arf had shown up at their door. Ruby had let them in, and then Nanoha had asked if she or some of the others were free.

Nanoha shrugged, offering an apologetic smile. "Well, Lindy asked us to check something for her. There's an intelligence talking to our devices, and she wants us to try to track down where the signal's coming from."

Ruby blinked. "...what are they talking about?"

Nanoha looked down at her scroll. "...limericks. No, wait, they've moved on to haikus. Sonnets." The mage laughed after a moment. "She's really cheerful."

"Well…." Yang and Weiss were both at the library for the moment. Blake was on her bed reading, but met Ruby's eyes when she looked at her. Blake shrugged, closing the book and setting it aside. Ruby nodded, looking back to Nanoha. "Okay, we're in. How are we doing this?"

Fate cleared her throat. "Bardiche and Raising Heart are both detecting the intelligence's wireless signal. Because they can both detect the strength of the signal and approximate distance, we can triangulate the signal if we split up a bit."

Blake rolled off her bed and stood up. "You want us with you because you want to keep this on the level with the headmaster."

"That's right." Fate smiled at her. "Shall we? Ruby can go with Nanoha and Arf."

Blake tensed up the slightest bit, trying to pass it off as nothing. "If you insist?"

"Mm. I have a few questions regarding the project Dr. Oobleck assigned. I thought that we could talk about it while Bardiche is working."

"Oh." Blake spared a moment to berate herself in the privacy of her own mind. _She's not out to get you. You're being too paranoid._ "Well of course, I'd be happy to help. Do we need to stop at your lockers to get your devices?"

Nanoha laughed awkwardly. "Oh, no. Uhm." She pulled _Raising Heart's_ storage form out from around her neck. "We keep mock-ups in the lockers in case anyone goes poking around where they shouldn't be. We're good to go."

"Okay. Lemme just leave a message for Weiss and Yang." Ruby scribbled a quick note and left it on Weiss' bed, then followed the others out the door.

The sun wasn't quite setting by the time they made their way out onto the public campus. Nanoha and Fate traded a quick hug before parting ways, and Blake was left to walk alongside Fate.

It was fairly pleasant, all things considered. Fate was quiet and soft-spoken, and quite intelligent. Her questions regarding Oobleck's history lessons were succinct and on point.

Still, every time Blake looked at her, she couldn't help but feel a little didn't take the blonde girl long to pick up on it, and she glanced up from her scroll's display of _Bardiche's_ transcripts. "Something about me bothers you?"

Blake looked down at the ground. _You're a cop._ That wasn't all, though. "It's… you have red eyes."

"What about them?"

"Well… I only really associate them with Yang, and that's only when her semblance is flaring and she's angry."

"Ah. You're experiencing some cognitive dissonance, then."

Blake grimaced, then nodded. "Yes. Your eyes make me think you're angry, but you're nothing but calm."

Fate shrugged. "It's just eye color. As far as being angry?" She thought about it, tilting her head. "There's so much more to life. Friends and family, people who are willing to _be_ your family when you think everything is lost. I've been angry and sad before, and I'd much rather be happy."

Blake could read between the lines. She already knew that Fate had been adopted by Lindy. "You were abandoned. That's why Lindy took you in."

"Yes." Fate's scroll buzzed in her hand, and she looked down. "Ah. Bardiche and Raising Heart have good data on the signal direction." Blake looked over Fate's shoulder, and could see a blinking arrow overlapping the small camera view from the scroll. Fate lifted it up and started turning, until the arrow was centered on her screen. "Let's see what we have, shall we?"

* * *

Spending some time with Nanoha and Arf was fun. The familiar was quite comfortable with her inhuman nature and features, even to the point of playfully demanding a scratch behind her ear because it 'itches so bad' and 'it always feels better when someone else does it,' and so forth. Nanoha just smiled and did as asked, out of long habit.

Ruby noticed that they were drawing some glances from nearby pedestrians. "Uhm, Arf? Nanoha? People are staring."

Arf snorted. "Fuck 'em. It's not my fault they're not comfortable with us being ourselves, and it's not like I'm running around naked or anything. They'll live."

"Nyahaha… still, she's right, Arf. As much as I agree, we shouldn't be drawing the extra attention to ourselves." Nanoha lowered her hand, offering an apologetic shrug to Arf's pout.

"Fiiine… oh! Fate says they've got good signal. How's ours?"

Nanoha looked down at her scroll. "Strong enough. Let's see here…" Nanoha held the scroll up and looked around through the camera display. "...not seeing anything that stands out, but a device's storage form isn't always noticeable…"

"Are you sure it's one of your types of devices? Remnant doesn't have anything like that, at least that I know of."

"That's a good point, Ruby." Nanoha centered the scroll on the signal, then looked up over it and frowned. "Just a couple people in that direction. Arf, let Fate know that I'm seeing an old lady in blue wearing a sun hat talking on her scroll, a redhead teen in some sort of overall-skirt and black leggings sitting on a park bench, and one of Beacon's maintenance staff pushing a cleaning cart."

Ruby blinked and followed Nanoha's gaze. She heard Arf reply after a moment, even as her eyes fell on the figure in question, a couple hundred feet away. "Fate says she confirms the redhead, looks like she's our 'CR'."

"That's Penny!" Ruby took off like a shot, leaving a trail of petals behind her. Nanoha's exclamation of caution didn't even reach her ears until she was halfway there, and she wouldn't have listened anyways. "Penny _where have you been?!"_

Penny looked up from the small book in her hands in absolute surprise, standing up just in time for Ruby to glomp onto her in a hug. The redhead awkwardly started to hug back, then froze, arms still halfway wrapped around Ruby. "I- I am sorry, have we met?"

"What are you talking about, of course we've met! I haven't seen you since the end of last semester!"

Penny put her hands on Ruby's shoulders, gently forcing her back a little. "I am sorry. I don't know what you're talking about- _hic!"_

The words hit Ruby like a physical blow, and she recoiled as if struck. "P-penny! It's me, Ruby! What's wrong?"

There. A flicker of not just recognition, but of _guilt_ in Penny's eyes, just before she looked away. "E-everything is fine- _hic!"_

Ruby could hear footsteps; Nanoha and Arf… and Fate and Blake as well. Blake's eyes widened when she realized who they'd found. "Penny?"

Penny looked between the two of them, increasingly frantic. "I- I really should be going! Yes, I have a place that I am supposed to be soon- _hic!_ I need to leave now to get there in time- _hic!"_

"W-what? Penny, what is going _on?!_ I know you know who I am, who Blake is! We're your friends! Why won't you talk to us?"

The redheaded girl slumped, then slid back into her seat, looking around with exaggerated care. Then she looked back at Ruby. "I… I'm sorry, Ruby. Blake. I was… _asked_ … not to talk to you two. Or Weiss, or Yang. Actually, I was asked not to talk to anyone."

Nanoha was muttering something at her scroll, and Blake looked questioningly at her. Penny suddenly froze for a moment, then turned her head and looked straight at Nanoha. "Are… are _you_ 'RH'?"

The mage flinched back in surprise, then glanced at Fate. The blonde rolled her eyes, raising one hand in a 'what can you do' gesture. Nanoha blushed a little at the subtle admonishment, then looked back at Penny. "No, but RH is a friend of mine. Are you 'CR'?"

 _RH? CR? What are they- Oh. Oh! Hah!_ Ruby couldn't help it. She started snickering and giggling, and five heads turned toward her. "O-of _course_ she is! She's _Combat Ready!"_ The giggling became full blown laughter.

Even Blake's neutral expression perked up slightly. "Ruby's right, she is. Just ask her."

Penny's eyes flicked between Nanoha, Fate, and Arf. "Ruby? Are these people your friends?"

Ruby felt all the humor drain out of her in an instant. She remembered what had happened the _last_ time Penny had asked her that question. "W-what? Yes they're my friends!"

"Oh. Well… okay." Penny smiled a little. "You two are not 'B' and 'RZ', are you? Because if you are already Ruby's friends, then I suppose that you can be my friends too?"

Fate and Nanoha exchanged another glance, and Fate sighed. "You and I need to have a talk regarding the definition of 'operational security' later, Ruby." Fate turned and gave Penny a smile. "I'm not 'B', but he and I are good friends. I would be happy to get to know you, Penny. My name is Fate, and these are Nanoha and Arf."

"Stupendous! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny jumped to her feet, grabbing the blonde's hands and giving them an energetic shake. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Ruby lowered her face into her hands, feeling her cheeks burn. "Why must that keep coming back to haunt me."

* * *

"Oz, what ended up happening regarding that cruiser contact you called me about?"

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, using the moment to compose his answer. James was sitting across from his desk, flipping through readiness reports on his scroll. "Oh, that. It turned out to be much less of an issue than I was worried about."

"Given that you didn't give me another call, I did assume. Still, what happened?"

"Pre-war colony airship came back home. Apparently the descendants decided that civilization was preferable to the untamed wilds."

Ironwood's eyebrows rose. "Paradise wasn't all they thought it would be, then?"

"I think we both know that chasing that kind of paradise is a fool's endeavor. They apparently came to the same realization, so they fixed their old transport up enough for the flight back."

"Not well enough, apparently, if they crashed on the way. Survivors?"

"Indeed. Glynda brought them home. They were quite shaken by the ordeal, but alive."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because there was nothing to tell, James." Ozpin sipped his coffee again, picking up his scroll to flip through a few reports of his own. "Great war era civilian technology? Even Atlas' civilian airships are orders of magnitudes more capable than that wreck was in its prime."

"Fair point, Oz. What are the survivors planning on doing with it? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Vale law states that it still belongs to them?"

"As compared to Atlas law where it would be claimed by the government? Yes. After reviewing their options, they made the decision to sell it to fund their relocation and resettlement. The scrap value is enough to see them through until they find their place."

James gave a thoughtful frown, nodding slowly. "Lot of tonnage in a ship that size. Salvage the Dust in the flight array, scrap the electronics for recycling… makes sense. Still, I can't imagine they're happy about it."

"No one is _happy_ about losing a faithful old steed. But necessity dictates action."

"Any idea what the survivors will be doing?"

 _Here we go._ "A number of them are quite capable, actually. They'd have to be to survive the Grimm so far outside of any of the kingdoms. So, I made the offer to accept a portion of the ship's scrap value as a tuition fee, and have enrolled them into my academy. They seem to be fitting in well." Ozpin thumbed a message to Glynda while he talked. ' _Ironwood asked questions about the ship. Satisfied with reply. May continue to investigate. Let refugees know what to expect.'_

* * *

"What the hell is this? Kiddie night?"

Hei 'Junior' Xiong could only watch as well over a dozen teenagers poured through the double doors; it was an absolute riot of different colored clothes and hair ranging from black all the way to _pink_. He did a quick head count. _Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-tw-_ "Oh shit. Her."

"Guess who's baaa~aaack!"

The question was answered by a dozen safeties being flipped as handguns were pointed at the blonde's face. The house trance mix halted, caught in a skipping loop that had Junior's cheek twitching. He glared at the DJ, slicing his finger across his throat.

The skipping music cut out, and in the silence Junior could hear two rumbling growls coming from the pair of wolf faunus that were with the group. A half-dozen hands had gone to weapons, but he wasn't worried about the overt displays of outrage. It was the dozen of them that had gone _completely still_ the moment a threat became apparent. _Those_ were the ones ready to tear the place down around them to keep the blonde safe.

He shouldered his way through his goons as quickly as he could, raising his voice to be heard. "Put your damned guns away, no one is shooting anyone here!"

The blonde slid through to the front of her group, glancing over her shoulder and tossing a bright, reassuring smile back at them. "It's cool, it's cool! Junior and I go way back."

Junior cleared his throat, looking down at her. "Blondie. You're here."

"Yeah!"

"... _why?"_

"What, I can't come visit my favorite club?"

"The last time you were here we were closed for a month repairing the damage."

"Well, I brought paying customers!" Yang gestured behind her. "That's good business, right?"

Junior looked back at the group, glancing over each one of them. Most of them looked to be around seventeen or so. The young man in the black trench coat seemed to be in his early twenties, as did the brunette with her hand on his arm, and his green-haired sister looked a little older than that. The one in the red cloak definitely looked a bit younger than the average.

One of his goons spoke up. "Boss, we can't let them in. They're undera- _mmph!"_

Junior clamped his hand over the idiot's' mouth, having caught the first hint of a spark in the blonde's eyes. _Give her what she wants and everything will be fine._ "Doors are open, Blondie. Just please, don't make a mess."

"Who, me?" She laughed delightedly, and waved her friends toward the dance floor. "Let's go, boys and girls!"

* * *

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"C'mon, Chrono. We're here to relax and have a good time."

"No, this is absurd. First off, I'm standing in a dance club, which is bad enough. Second, I'm in the same club as you. This is mortifying."

Lindy rolled her eyes. "Chrono. I promised you I'm not going to do anything embarrassing. I want to be able to enjoy a few drinks while the rest of you cut loose. That's all."

"Which means in three hours I'm going to be carrying you out of here."

"You… don't think I can hold my alcohol." Lindy raised her eyebrow, slightly surprised. _Then again._ "Wait. You've never _seen_ me drink, have you?"

"One of the last bastions that my sanity clings to, and you're ruining it."

"Oh Chrono. Go mingle. I'll be fine, really." Lindy turned and waved. "Amy! Come rescue your husband from me!"

"Yes, Lindy!" The brunette grabbed Chrono by the arm, dragging him away. "C'mon! Hayate's ordering _martinis!"_

* * *

"Too many people. I do not like this place."

Zafira rumbled an agreement, scanning his eyes through the undulating mass of people. "We're never comfortable when Hayate and the others go to places like this. There is a difference, though."

Signum raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Aura." To demonstrate, Zafira absently backhanded Signum's forearm. A faint flash of pink light heralded the blow skating off without harming her. "While it may not be as comprehensive as her Knight's Clothing, it is robust, hidden, and easily maintained. If there is anything to be thankful for in our time here, it is that she will no longer be easy prey to a knife in the dark."

Signum's face twisted a little, her brow furrowing. "You make a valid point, but it is no reason to relax our guard."

Zafira shook his head. "It is not, and I would never. But there is something to be said for peace of mind."

* * *

"So. Uhm."

"This is a little... overwhelming, I admit."

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance. They'd been left standing near the door when everyone else scattered, watching as their friends and compatriots mingled into the night life. "...find a table in the corner and pretend we're watching a documentary?"

"Yes. Let's do that."

* * *

"Check out the wallflowers."

Miltiades looked up from her drink, then turned on her bar stool to see where Melanie was pointing. It only took her a moment, as there were really only two people in the club that fit the bill, and her eyes were drawn to splashes of white and red at a corner table.

Then she blinked, and looked closer. "Wait. You don't recognize her?"

"Which one? They both look like fish out of water in here."

"Mel, that's _Weiss Schnee."_

Her twin did a double-take, eyes widening in surprise. "What's the _Heiress_ doing here of all places?"

"I think she came with that big group that the bimbo brought in." Miltiades finished her drink, setting it on the bar and standing up. "C'mon. Let's go see how accurate the rumors are."

Melanie turned her head, narrowing her eyes at the blue-haired boy who was giving them a cocky smile. "...yes. Let's."

* * *

"Damn. They're hot, too."

"And they saw through you like you're made of glass, Neptune. Good job." Sun dragged Neptune to the barstools the pair had just vacated, plopping down and waving for the bartender's attention.

"You could try and be a proper wingman, you know. Two of them, two of us?" Neptune tried one more time.

"Yeah no. They're checking out their color matches. Watch, it might be entertaining." The bartender made his way over, and Sun grinned. "Hey man! What's on tap? My buddy here's buying."

"Sun! What the hell!"

* * *

"Arf, you're not joining us? We're about to start dancing!" Nanoha was giggling, already a little rosy-cheeked from the one drink she'd had. Hayate was as well, and they each had a hand on one of Fate's arms, guiding her toward the floor.

"Not yet. I might join you later though!" Arf smiled and waved them off, resting her elbow on the bar and waiting. The aces moved off, cackling and smiling in turn.

It only took a few moments longer for one of the bartender to deliver her orders, and Arf dropped a few Lien notes on the counter. She took the pair of drinks in hand, pushing off the bar and sashaying through the crowd, tail swaying behind her.

It wasn't hard to find him. Yuuno was standing near a table, still looking a little shocked at the sheer volume of noise and people. Arf bumped her hip into him, then offered him one of her drinks. "Doing okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just a lot to take in. Too used to quiet places. The library and archaeological digs, you understand?"

"Yup. Well, it won't do to leave you on your lonesome." Arf plopped onto a seat, and motioned for him to take the other. "I'll keep you company."

Yuuno looked a bit thankful, and sat down. Of course, though, his next words weren't concerning himself. They never were. "Don't you want to spend time with Fate and the others?"

"Nah. Fate and I talk all the time. We have to try to keep away from each other." Arf rapped a knuckle against her head, smiling. "Besides, Nanoha and Hayate will make sure she has fun. I'd rather hang out with you."

* * *

"Aren't you a bit young to be here, Little Red?"

Ruby started, blushing like she'd been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Two black-haired young women had walked up to the table while she'd been distracted staring at the crowd. "Er, uhm. Well, I… just sorta tagged along? I'm not drinking anything, I promise!"

Now that Ruby was looking at them, she wasn't sure exactly how to take them. They were dressed in obviously _expensive_ cocktail dresses, complete with feathered collars, necklaces and more. The one in red had claw-like blades mounted on her gloves, spring-mounted and ready to snap forward from their place around her forearms. The white one's heels were steel-armored and bladed, obviously weapons in their own way.

They both rolled their eyes in the exact same way- _Oh hey they're twins-_ and turned to look at Weiss. "Ms. _Schnee,_ are you finding everything to your satisfaction?"

Weiss' posture stiffened as she was suddenly caught in the spotlight. Her eyes flicked from one twin to the other, skittering up and down their outfits almost too quickly to watch.

Then as if a switch was flicked in her head, Ruby's partner straightened her back and returned their gazes steadily. "This is not my _usual_ kind of locale, but it does have its own form of… _charm."_

The one in white smiled, and Ruby could tell there was something _off_ about the way her lips quirked. Not quite _predatory,_ but… amused. "We just wanted to make certain. You seem _so_ out of place here, we were worried there was something wrong."

"I am quite fine, I assure you." Ruby could feel the chill in Weiss' voice as it locked into the upper stratosphere of social refinement. "It is _very_ considerate of the both of you to show so much care. I absolutely understand your concerns that your establishment might not be holding up to the _expectations_ I bear."

The girl in white took a step back without realizing it. The red one opened her mouth, but Weiss cut her off before she had a chance to even voice a syllable. "Your dresses are _lovely,_ by the way. The sheer _effort_ that you put forth in your attempt to display your self-perceived value is laudable, if _sadly_ misguided. And it's _so_ unfortunate that they clash with your eyes; it's rare that I've seen such a clear color of _green_ on display."

Weiss waved a hand dismissively. "Again, thank you for your concerns, but my friend and I are doing _quite_ well. Please do not feel that you need to bother us again." Ice-cold eyes narrowed. "Because you don't."

The two girls retreated without another word. Ruby was left staring at her partner as she took deep breath and slowly released it, then slumped back in her seat. "...Weiss? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Sorry you had to see that, Ruby. I swear, I can't go outside without some pompous, spiteful, _jealous_ idiots trying to see if they can get a rise out of the youngest Schnee."

" _That's_ what they were doing?"

"It was. They wanted to compare themselves to me. So I obliged." Weiss let out an unladylike snort, then smiled. "It did feel good to lay into them, though. I try not to do that very often."

Ruby nodded slowly, looking out over the crowd again. One of the bouncers nearby caught her eye, and she blinked. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the guy that tried to _rob_ me?"

* * *

 _Dammit. Tukson's right. I hate these masks. Least of all because I can hardly see a damn thing through it._

Richard pressed the hard Grimm-mask to his face, settling the strap behind his head and fussing with it until it settled properly, filing through the darkened warehouse along with a throng of younger disaffecteds. _Taurus_ is _sending the wrong message with these things. They wear them to instill fear, and it works, but it's hard to get accepted as people when you wear the images of monsters._ But the mask also provided anonymity, which would prove rather useful in keeping his own ass _alive_ if tonight went as planned.

The corridor opened into a large, open storage room. A stage had been hastily constructed at one end of the room, and dozens of young faunus, obviously civilians from their garb, had gathered in front of it. Members of the Fang wearing the usual black and white uniforms stood next to them in not-quite orderly rows, well over a hundred strong.

A large man with short-cropped black hair and a full facemask stood on the stage. Richard wanted to spit when he saw who it was. _Him. Asshole's not even in it for the movement, he's just in it because it lets him play at being a killer._ The man paced back and forth, voice echoing off the walls. "Thank you all for coming; For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long!"

 _And there he is. Damn it all._ Roman Torchwick walked on stage, full of swagger even as the new blood started rumbling in discontent. "Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause!"

A girl in a teal shirt pointed, shouting in affront. "What's a _human_ doing here?!"

"I'm glad you asked, _deerie!_ Now, I'll be the first to admit; humans _are the worst._ Case in point. I understand why you would love to see us all locked away, or… better yet? Killed! But before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I _all_ have a common enemy!"

Richard turned around, for a moment, and saw a familiar figure looking back at him. He nodded. _Now._

" _And that common enemy is why you're putting hits out on people in the White Fang who dare to disagree?"_ The voice blared through a couple speakers that Richard's people had hidden in the rafters earlier in the day. No way to determine where the speaker was standing. _Perfect._

Torchwick's composure hardly faltered; Richard had to give him that much credit. "Whoa, whoa! Hold on a second, please! I promise you I had _nothing_ to do with whatever you're talking about!"

" _Because you're not the one calling the shots. That human bitch that has Taurus licking her heels is, and she thinks we're expendable!"_

"Would you please calm down so I-"

" _No! These people are here to fight for their own rights, not for that bitch's grand schemes! They should know the truth! The truth is that as soon as we're not useful to you anymore, we'll be cut down and tossed aside just like everything else her filthy hands touch!"_

Shouts and screams of outrage. Torchwick gritted his teeth, holding up his hands placatingly. "Would you all _please_ stop acting like a pack of anima-"

" _AND THERE IT IS. That's all we are to you! Animals, waiting to be put down!"_

Someone threw a rock. It didn't matter who; it didn't even matter that Torchwick effortlessly sidestepped the projectile. Richard couldn't let himself smile, even though he wanted to. Instead he joined in the building anger, adding his voice to the rumbling mass. The words he used didn't even matter. _Rabble-rousing. It's easy when you do it right. And it can go straight to hell if you do it wrong. Take a lesson, Torchwick. You're dealing with professionals._

More rocks flew, and the cracking report of a single gunshot split the air. It hit nothing but an overhead light; Richard had been clear on that point to his followers. But the light exploded, raining glass and sparks. The crowd broke and scattered, whether civilian recruits or members of the Fang. People screamed, some fleeing for the exits, others rushing the stage.

Total pandemonium, shattered the human bastard's image in the eyes of the Fang's newest recruits and steadfast veterans. Torchwick backed away from the press of enraged people, then put a hand on his hat and ran.

 _Just as planned._

* * *

"I tell you, Ren. This way madness lies."

"Now you know how it feels to be the only sane man."

Jaune and Ren sat occupied a table near the dance floor, a dozen unopened bottles of water occupying the surface. Jaune was nursing a beer, and Ren was sticking to nothing harder than soda. Most of the girls were out on the dance floor, laughing and carrying on. Every so often a few of them would stumble back to Jaune's table, and he'd wordlessly pass along a bottle of water. "Nah. I know all too well what this is like."

"You do seem to be an old hand at keeping them hydrated." Ren sipped his soda, keeping an eye on Nora and Pyrrha both. Nora was under _strict_ orders to stay away from anything alcoholic, and was instead partaking in _energy shots_.

"Seven sisters, Ren."

"They took you clubbing?"

"Repeatedly."

"You poor soul."

One of the chairs at the table pulled out with a scraping sound, and Chrono sagged into the chair, rubbing his face. "My cheeks are numb and my wife is molesting one of my subordinates and I can't stop from saying the things in my head. This is why I don't drink."

Jaune and Ren looked at the bar to see Amy and Hayate leaning on each other, obviously drunk and not really caring where they were grabbing to hold each other up. Somewhere they could hear Vita laughing, but they couldn't see her in the crowd.

They exchanged another glance. Ren passed Chrono a bottle of water.

* * *

Signum's scowl threatened to make Zafira's beer go sour as she tried to tame her hair back in place. Finally she gave up, untying the ribbon holding her lengthy ponytail and regathering it in her hands. "Unacceptable, Zafira."

"To be fair, I don't think we've ever seen Vita drunk before." He sipped at his beverage. "Anger, I could expect. Even melancholy. But not _this_ level of... dopish enjoyment."

"She gave me a _noogie._ Not even Hayate has ever tried that before."

"I'm surprised you let her get away."

"Vengeance will be swift. Vengeance will be painful. It will also be unexpected."

He rumbled a laugh. "You mean she caught you by surprise and got away before you could react."

* * *

"So why aren't you out there with all your friends instead of depleting my stock? Not that I'm complaining; your money's good. But you're drinking my men under the table."

"Oh, well. You know. I've always been something of a mother hen to everyone, and I wanted to give them the chance to have fun without me looming in the shadows." Lindy smiled and accepted the shot that Mr. Xiong poured for her, tossing it back with ease. "Sitting here at your bar, they know exactly where I am and don't feel like I'm looking over their shoulders, but I'm close enough that I'm here if they need me."

"It looked like you kids are all pretty close, but now you're making yourself out to be the older one."

"Just a couple years. Young enough to be part of the group, but old enough to be respected. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess I do." Junior scratched his beard. "Another?"

"Please!"

"Junior!" Yang practically slammed into the bar, Blake trailing behind her.

"Hell, Blondie, you don't need to break all my things. What's the problem?"

"I was just talking to my sister and she said one of your goons tried to rob her a while back!"

"Well I'm sorry, but it's not my fault it happened. Couple of my guys got hired out for a gig. He paid up front, so I didn't ask questions. Then the next day I have to go pay bail for the whole lot of them because they were involved in a Dust store robbery that got blown because of a girl in red with a fucking scy-" Junior cut off, looking out across the room. Having been a nightclub owner for a while, it only took him seconds to spot the girl in the red hood staring at him. "...no shit. She's your sister?"

"Yes!"

"Huh."

"Wait a minute!" Yang narrowed her eyes. "If your thugs were the ones that got hired for the Dust robbery, that means you talked to Roman Torchwick."

Junior held his hands up. "Look, Blondie. It was a business transaction. He hired my men, no questions asked. Like I said. The gig got blown, I got my boys out on bail, a couple days later he shows up to express his disappointment. That was the last I saw of him. Whoever he's hiring to do his dirty work nowadays, he's sure as hell not going through me."

Yang and Blake both exchanged a glance, but after a moment seemed to accept the statement at face value. They took seats at the bar next to Lindy. "I guess that makes sense. Still, as long as I'm here, gimme a strawberry sunrise! With one of the little umbrel-"

A tremor shook the ground, and then the _whump_ of an explosion slammed into the side of the building. Half of the lights went out, and the music cut off. Yang glanced around. Every black-suited punk in the place was looking right at her. "W-what? It wasn't me this time!"

Junior waved them off, tilting his head. Lindy cocked an ear as well, listening.

Muffled by walls and distance were the shouts and screams of a mob.


	12. Chapter 12

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 12 - Compromised

"Everyone away from the door!" Junior was on his feet, bellowing at the club's mass of shocked clients. "Get off the dance floor, go where the bouncers direct you!" A dozen black-suited mobsters started herding the club-goers toward the back.

Lindy sighed, sliding off her barstool and standing. The Beacon teams were gathering back together, as were the TSAB personnel. She did a quick count, and while she found everyone she was looking for… "Chrono. What's your status?"

Her son blinked a few times, rubbing his cheek. "Impaired, ma'am. I would... hesitate to enter a combat situation in my current condition. Amy too." His voice held the overly-stressed enunciation of someone who _knew_ he was drunk and was trying to fight it.

"Hayate? Nanoha?"

The two brunettes looked at each other, then back at Lindy. They both shook their heads.

 _Four down. Hell. Let's try again._ "Zafira? Signum? Vita and Shamal?"

"The two of us are uninhibited, ma'am." Signum nodded in agreement. "However, Vita and Shamal have partaken in the local brew. Liberally."

"Fate and Arf? Yuuno?"

"I'm fine!"

"We're good."

"Okay, then." Lindy clapped her hands twice. "Yuuno, Arf. Our job is to make sure our _less than capable_ friends get to safety." Nanoha made an affronted noise, which Lindy ignored. "Fate, Signum, Zafira? Rescue duty. You are _not_ to try to deal with the riot itself; leave that to the authorities. Instead, keep your heads down, stay quiet, and try to find people who are in danger and get them out of it. Let's talk to RWBY and JNPR and see what they're thinking."

* * *

The plan ended up being fairly simple. Team JNPR would work in conjunction with Lindy, Yuuno, and Arf, getting Junior's clubgoers out of the warehouse district and to safety. From there, they would set up a staging area for the _hopefully_ rapid arrival of Vale police units. Jaune was already on his scroll, coordinating with the local precinct.

Signum, Fate, and Zafira would follow along with Team RWBY, slipping past the front of the riot to look for wounded and help put out fires. Weiss was their ace-in-the-hole in that situation, with her glyphs and skill in using Ice Dust. Blake assured them of her ability to be their forward scout, and Fate offered to watch her back as they moved.

Thankfully, it seemed that the situation was fairly _small,_ all things considered. Team RWBY forged ahead until they actually caught sight of the riot; perhaps a hundred people in an angry swarm, with dozens more fleeing ahead of them in a panic.

Blake peered down from her rooftop perch, and her eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the white-and-black uniforms that composed most of the rioters.

Fate caught her expression, and took a closer look herself. Her sharp, trained eyes picked out a wealth of distinct features. "...they're all faunus."

"It's the White Fang. Something must have happened. They're usually not this _blatant_ in their violence, this is too unrestrained."

"I see fighting on the edges. Looks like a leader figure in the center of the mob; large man with a big… is that a chainsaw?"

Blake's hands tightened on the edge of the roof. "Yes."

Fate glanced at Blake. "Do you know him?"

"No!" The girl flinched, then shook her head. "I… I've seen him before, that's all."

 _Interesting._ A sudden flare of light caught Fate's attention, and she swore. Bringing her scroll up, Fate passed a message along. "Ruby. Building front on fire, looks like they're slinging molotovs."

" _Roger dodger! Uhm. What's a molotov?"_

"Fire bombs. Glass bottle filled with flammable liquid."

" _Oh! Got it. We're gonna circle around so Weiss can work her glyphs on it!"_ There was a moment's delay. " _Er. Copy!"_

Fate nodded to Blake, and the faunus girl ran in a crouch for the next rooftop. "Copy. We're moving."

* * *

It only took Team RWBY a few minutes to work their way behind the throng of enraged faunus. Twice, groups of stragglers charged the Beacon first-years, but served to do little more than slow them down for a few seconds. Zafira and Signum intercepted the attackers each time, putting them on the ground with sharp blows from their fists. Ruby zipped to each unconscious foe, tying them with strips of cloth and leaving them for the authorities to recover.

When they reached the burning building, Yang smashed her gauntlets together and charged through the flames without hesitating, emerging a few moments later with an unconscious worker slung over each shoulder. Fire and embers clung to her clothing, which she didn't even give the courtesy of acknowledging. "Clear! _Ice it, Princess!"_

"Not my name, Yang!" Weiss set her feet, pointing _Myrtenaster_ with a flourish and gesturing with her other hand. Sheets of ice sprayed from her summoned glyph, coating the front of the building and extinguishing the flames.

Once they were in the path left by the riot, they found people strewn across the street, some knocked cold and others crying out in agony. The team split up, rushing to pull the fallen people to safety and performing first aid where necessary. After a few minutes, Weiss noticed that Ruby wasn't moving anymore.

The red-cloaked leader was standing still, staring at her hands. Weiss trotted up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby? What's wrong?"

"W-weiss?" Ruby turned her head a little too slowly, looking at Weiss with wide eyes. Then she saw it; Ruby's hands were smeared with red; it was even staining the ends of her sleeves.

"Oh. Oh geez, Ruby. Are you okay?"

"Weiss? These people are really hurt, aren't they? They're really hurt." Ruby's hands trembled, clenching into fists.

 _She's not hurt. She's not hurt, this isn't her blood._ And that was the problem, Weiss realized. For all that she was a huntress-in-training, Ruby was still young. She'd never actually seen people _maimed_ before. Weiss pulled her partner into a hug, ignoring the stains Ruby's suddenly clutching hands left on her jacket. "They are, Ruby. They're hurt, and that's why we're here. We're here to help them, right? That's what a huntress does."

Ruby shuddered in her arms, and she pulled in a hiccuping breath. "W-we're here to help," she repeated.

"Right. We're here to help them. We're keeping it from being worse." Weiss kept her voice as reassuring as possible. "So you need to keep moving, okay? They need your help, so you can't stop."

Down the street, another stretch of building front burst into flames, audible even over the roar of the rioters. Weiss tensed, needing to move but not willing to leave Ruby alone.

Ruby flinched, looking toward the fire. She choked down a breath and nodded, and Weiss felt strength return to the girl's limbs when she hugged back tightly. "Okay. I'm… okay. I'm okay." Ruby let go, giving herself a shake. "Go, Weiss. I'll keep helping!"

Ruby vanished in a flurry of petals, skidding to a stop the side of a wounded girl in a teal shirt. Weiss nodded, and dashed off as fast as her glyphs could carry her. The fire was dangerously close to the back of the mob, but she had to get close enough to fire off her next casting. _Myrtenaster_ danced through the air before her, and another volley of ice drowned the clinging flames.

"SCHNEE!"

The bass bellow of rage caught her by surprise, and she turned to see a giant of a man wearing the a full facemask of the White Fang charging toward her. The rip-roar of his weapon filled her ears as the massive sword cut down toward her head, and she could only raise her rapier in desperation. Her eyes squeezed shut in terrible anticipation.

Spinning metal slammed into metal, letting out a grating screech that split the night with its fury. Weiss felt nothing but air, and forced her eyes open. A lengthy pink ponytail blew in the wind before her. Signum stood between her and the massive faunus, _Laevatein_ raised in a perfect parry, sparks flying from the sword where the chainsaw blade chewed impotently against the unyielding steel.

Arms wrapped around Weiss from behind, and she felt herself get hauled back bodily. She started to struggle, then heard Zafira's rumble in her ear. "Calmly. You've caught their attention."

Weiss tore her gaze away from the clashing of blades in front of her, and saw that the rioters had stopped. Every pair of eyes was staring at her, and one of the ones in front pointed at her. "It's the _heiress!_ GET THE SCHNEE!"

Weiss' eyes widened, and she felt pure, primal fear surge through her. Instinctive terror, ingrained in the psych of every living being; _the whole world is out to get me._ She had to run, hide, _get awa-_

"Calmly, Weiss. I need you to trust me."

Zafira put her down, resting a steadying hand on her shoulder. Weiss looked at him, then back at the mob. They were moving forward, brandishing lengths of pipe and broken bottles and more. "They're coming for _me,_ Zafira!"

"I am a Guardian Beast. It is my job to protect my charge from everyone. Right now, you are my charge." Zafira nodded to her, then stepped in front of her and clenched his fists. "Stop the fires, Weiss. They will not touch you."

"But-"

"Go!"

* * *

Signum set her feet and shoved the huge faunus back. Weiss' footsteps sounded behind her, and she saw the man's head turn as he tracked the retreating heiress. Signum slammed _Laevatein_ against his guard, forcing him to keep his attention on her. " _I_ am your opponent. It would do you well to remember that."

"You stand between me and the Schnee, girl. I will tell you _one_ time to get out of my way."

Signum raised her blade, issuing her challenge. "I am Signum, Knight of the Sword, and you will take not a single step closer to her."

"I couldn't care less who you are!" The man brought his chainsword around in a vicious horizontal swing, and Signum interposed _Laevatein_ to parry. The sheer force of the impact knocked her off balance, but she turned with the blow, spinning on her feet and adding the momentum to her next slash.

 _Laevatein_ crashed into his side, causing his Aura to flare and blasting the breath from his lungs. He didn't disengage, though, and instead bulled closer to drive his fist into her face. Signum's head snapped back, and she gritted her teeth through the pain. _He's strong. Stronger than I am, certainly._

People rushed past them on both sides, but gave the two of them a wide berth. Zafira's growl of challenge reverberated in her gut, comforting in its familiarity, and she felt more than heard the heavy _crump_ of fists meeting flesh again and again. A wave of cold blew past her, and could hear the hiss of another fire dying.

The big man backed off enough to swing his saw again, and Signum was forced to duck back to avoid the blow. She was better than he was, she knew, but his reach advantage and sheer strength made him very dangerous. Another swing missed her, grinding asphalt from the street, and she lunged forward to thrust Laevatein into his chest. His Aura stopped the blow again, but he stumbled back with a grunt and a curse.

 _Keep him off balance. Do not give him the chance to recover._ Signum pressed forward, _Laevatein_ flashing through the air to catch him across the jaw, down the length of his arm, skating along his belly.

Screaming in outrage, the man surged forward, ignoring her sword and shoulder-checking Signum to throw her to the ground. He raised the saw in both hands and brought it crashing down with all his strength. Signum caught the blow on _Laevatein,_ one hand bracing against the back of the blade, and barely stopped the blow before it crashed into her neck. Sparks rained down from the contact, tattooing her face with blazing needles.

With a shout of triumph, the man kicked Signum in her sword-hand. The saw let out a gutteral roar of its own, and the teeth caught on the edge of _Laevatein's_ blade. Her sword was torn from her grasp, skittering across the pavement. Signum reached for her scabbard, but the blade was already coming down again. She threw her arm in the way.

* * *

Weiss closed her eyes and focused, trying to ignore the shouting and screaming behind her. Her glyphs came once more to her call, but she felt the threads of her control slipping as fatigue seeped into her limbs. With an effort of will, she forced the Dust in _Myrtenaster_ to do her bidding, blasting forth in yet another frigid spray to paint another raging fire in frozen water. _I have to trust him._

Pounding footsteps rapidly approaching her. She whirled, to bring _Myrtenaster_ up in time, only to see a typhoon of red petals interpose. Ruby spun _Crescent Rose_ in bloodied hands, tripping the surprised man head over heels to slam into the street. The base of the weapon _cracked_ against his jaw, and in another flash of scattering red, Ruby was gone.

She swallowed, then turned back to the last flaming building. _I trust them all. That's what matters, isn't it?_ Ice came to her beck and call once more. Yang forged ahead, just like before, and dove into the inferno without hesitation; her own bright glow out shined even the heart of the fire itself, until billowing smoke obscured her from sight.

Weiss called up her next glyph, trying to ignore Zafira's growls and the shouts of pain from his opponents. The Dust trembled at her fingertips, begging to be released, but she held it tightly. She couldn't let it go while Yang was still inside, because it would freeze her too.

Twenty second became thirty, then a minute. Frost started to form on _Myrtenaster,_ crawling up her hand, numbing her fingers. Her arm started to shake. _Come on Yang! The fire can't hurt you through your semblance, but you still need to breathe! Get out of there!_

The wall to the side of the building's door exploded outward in a shower of brick and fire, and Yang barreled out into the street, clutching a burned figure. " _WEISS! NOW!"_

Dust flew, transmuting into floes of the deepest cold and smothering the burning walls of the building. Weiss sagged to her knees, dropping _Myrtenaster_ to the ground and hissing in pain when it took a few layers of her skin with it. All around her, men and women lay groaning in agony, while Zafira stood bruised, bloodied, but unbroken, daring the last few stragglers to try and get past him.

A body flew past her, slamming into the pavement. The giant faunus tumbled into a roll, staggering to his feet just in time for Signum to barrel into him at a run. Weiss scrambled to get out of the way, gaping.

Signum was _blazing._ Not burning, and not with the bright glow of Yang's semblance, but with seething, angry flames. They whirled around her, a deep malevolent glow that intensified with every punch she threw. She screamed wordlessly, throwing herself at the man, heedless of his return strikes and punishing him with every blow.

Yang ran to Weiss' side, and an instant later Ruby appeared. _Ember Celica_ and _Crescent Rose_ chambered rounds, but the two girls held their fire for fear of hitting the raging _Wolkenritter._

The man fell on the defensive, looking around and seeing that the riot had ended. In the distance, blue and red lights flashed. Finally having enough, he grabbed Signum by the throat, earning a burning punch to the jaw for his efforts, and threw her as hard and far as he could. Yang and Ruby had to scramble to get out of the way as Signum bounced past them, and before they could bring their weapons back to bear the man turned and fled into an alley.

Weiss hurried to Signum's side, only to shy away when the flames threatened to burn her. The knight lurched to her feet, teeth bared and bloody. "Signum! It's over! He's gone!"

At first it didn't seem like she heard Weiss' words, but after a long moment the flames extinguished. Signum sank to one knee, chest heaving for breath, and Weiss gasped when she could finally see the extent of her injuries.

Signum's left forearm was blood and hanging flesh, armor torn away by spinning teeth and meat shredded to the bone. Another ragged gash wept crimson down her back from her right shoulder to her opposite hip, and one eye was completely swollen shut. That was the worst of it, but many smaller wounds dotted her form.

Hands tugged at the sash around her waist, and Weiss only reacted to it being undone when the pouch it held to her back was dropped in her hands. Ruby knelt at Signum's side, winding the length of cloth around her upper arm and pulling it as tight as she could. The girl's expression was pinched, face pale and eyes wide, but she didn't turn away until the tourniquet was in place. Then Ruby staggered away, falling to her hands and knees.

Fate and Blake both ran up. Seeing everyone's condition, Fate glanced at Blake and nodded toward Ruby. "Yuuno's on his way. I'll do what I can for Signum." Blake grabbed Weiss' hand, pulling her along until they were both kneeling down next to Ruby. Yang was already there, rubbing her sister's back and murmuring reassurances.

Weiss put a tentative hand on Ruby's shoulder. "H-hey, are you okay…?"

Ruby's back heaved, and foulness spattered from her mouth across the asphalt. Weiss ignored the sour smell of bile, even when some of it splashed onto the hem of her skirt. After a long moment, her partner managed a whimpering moan. "No…"

Weiss looked over Ruby at Blake and Yang, biting her lip. As one, they gathered their leader into a hug, holding the shaking girl close while they waited for the approaching sirens.

* * *

 _I should have gotten in the fucking Paladin._

Roman Torchwick played the events back in his head as he walks, hat gripped in his hand and coat slung over his forearm. The gunshot, the crowd of faunus escalating from simmering anger to boiling rage. He'd taken one look at them and judged them a lost cause. Oh, it would have been _possible_ to calm them back down, but it sure as hell wasn't likely enough to bet his life on.

So he ran. Little Neo had caught sight of him fleeing and, without hesitating, scooped him up in her illusions. They were gone quicker than spit. She'd dropped him off a few streets down and vanished, as she was wont to do.

 _I could have gotten in the Paladin._

 _...no. I'd have had to drop the tarp, climb up the side, and get in. I wouldn't have gotten in the Paladin, I'd have gotten a bullet in the back for my efforts. Or worse yet, burned alive. I wasn't expecting them to have firebombs on them as a just-in-case measure._

Off in the distance, the riot was crashing to a halt. Far too distant for him to make out details, but he could see ice coating the burning buildings, and could watch as the roiling mob of rioters was slowly being turned into bodies on the ground. Huntsmen must have been called in.

 _The Paladin would have been a bad idea. Too bad I lost it, but… eh. Fuck it. There are more where it came from._ Roman settled his hat back on his head, shrugged back into his coat, and turned his back on the settling violence. He knew just where to go to forget about things for a bit.

The double doors opened at a push, and he strode through the dim lighting and silence to the bar. "The hell, Junior? Isn't this place supposed to be hopping this time of night?"

"Cleared everyone out the back when the riot started." The big man glanced up from the cash register. Roman noticed that his rocket-club was in easy reach. "Torchwick? The hell are you doing here?"

"Getting a drink, old bear. You would not _believe_ my night."

Junior glanced out the door even as he poured a double of whiskey. On the rocks, of course. The mobster had a good memory. "Wouldn't happen to have to do with that, would it?"

Roman scooped up the drink, taking a sip and sighing. "Not my fault." _Look at me, telling the truth._

"Right." Junior scooped up another glass, filling it with soda. "Had someone ask about _you_ tonight."

He felt an eyebrow arch reflexively. "Do tell."

"Blondie came in with a bunch of her friends. No fight, no fuss-"

"Wait, Blondie? The chick that beat the shit out of your entire goon squad?"

Junior glowered. "Yeah, that's the one. Anyways, she came up asking about you because her sister recognized one of my boys from _your_ Dust gig."

Roman tilted his head. "Waitwaitwait, hold on. I only used your mooks one time, and that was-" He started laughing. "You're telling me that Little Red and your Blondie are sisters? What are the chances!"

"That's what she said at least."

"Well, what did you tell them?"

"Nothing to say, Torchwick. I told her that I hadn't seen you since I bailed my boys out. 'Cause I hadn't. If she'd come in tomorrow, well."

"...well?"

"Well I'da told her you came in for a drink and that was it. It's not like you started a riot or anything."

"Because I didn't." Roman took another sip of his drink. "Well tell me about her friends. You said she brought in a bunch, right?"

"Twenty or so. All Beacon trainees, so you'll understand if I was treading a little _lightly_. Seemed like a bunch of good kids. Spent some time talking to the role model, but then they all ran out to deal with the riot."

 _That explains the rapid reaction._ Roman tried to fit the image of _role model_ together with the idea of a bruiser who would shut down an entire nightclub for two weeks worth of renovations. "I assume you're not talking about Blondie."

"Hell no. Green haired chick, little older than the rest." Junior thought for a moment. "Some sorta mark on her forehead, never seen it before. Arrows pointing inward. Anyways, she sat at the bar and damned if she didn't drink a couple of my boys under the table. Didn't even blush. I don't think _I_ coulda kept up with her."

"Impressive! I like a little lady that can hold her liquor." Roman frowned thoughtfully, nodding in approval. "Talk to any of the others?"

"No, but I can show you pictures. Usual fee."

"That, old bear, is a fee I can pay. Always good to know where the trouble is."

"Don't need to pay for me to tell you _that_."

"Other than me, Junior. Other than me." He reached into his coat, tossing a stack of Lein cards on the bar. "Let's see those pictures."

* * *

The warehouse looked like a bomb had gone off inside. Not literally, but interior walls and fences had been torn down by dozens of pairs of hands, and the wreckage was strewn across the concrete floor.

Richard stepped around a few bodies, stopping to check each one for a pulse. He breathed a little easier seeing that there weren't any actual fatalities in the initial rush. Leaving the unconscious faunus behind, he climbed up onto the creaking stage.

The big tarped _thing_ was still there, surprisingly undisturbed by the violence. Richard grabbed a fistful of woven plastic and pulled.

He let out a low, impressed whistle. Richard brought up his scroll, dialing quickly. After three rings, it connected. "Xerxes here."

" _Rick. This had better be worth using one of my throwaways."_

"Torchwick got his hands on one of those new Atlas warmechs."

" _...that's worth using one of my throwaways. Where is it?"_

"At the warehouse. He never got the chance to show it off, thankfully." Richard circled around the huge machine, noting the cosmetic modifications. "Not bad. It's even decked out in White Fang colors."

" _That can't be his only one."_

"It would have been really stupid of him if it was. My question is where are all the rest?"

" _What are you going to do with it?"_

"Anonymously inform the authorities where it i- Gotta go." Richard killed the call, pocketing his scroll. The door had creaked open at the front of the warehouse. He looked around quickly; no cover nearby. Instead he grabbed hold of the Paladin's arm and swung up to land on top of its chassis. Crouching and gathering himself, he jumped the distance to the rafters under the roof, secreting himself in the shadows.

A solitary figure inched into view from below, clinging to the shadows and moving with a competent level of stealth. If he'd still been on the floor, he wasn't quite sure he'd be able to see them, but from his lofty vantage point the figure's motions were easy to track. The figure circled the entirety of the room before it was finally satisfied and stepped into the light.

It was a human girl, he saw. Middling height, with long blonde hair held back in a loose ponytail. _Black coat with translucent back panels, corset and short-shorts… what the hell is a nightclubber doing here?_ Then he saw the gun she was holding easily in one hand; a massive revolver with a razor-blade bayonet sticking out the barrel. He gave her clothing another, more suspicious glance, and came to a second conclusion. _Not a clubber. Beacon student._

The girl padded quietly through the room, touching nothing and looking at everything, even glancing up at the ceiling and noting the shattered light. Richard stayed still and silent, trusting in the shadows in the rafters to keep him concealed. She had surprisingly clear red eyes, he saw.

She pulled a scroll from an inner pocket of her coat, muttering quietly into it. His ears twitched, focusing on her words. "Bardiche. Transmit to Durandal; source location of riot found. Continuing investigation." _Code words. Damn._

She then held out the scroll and started taking pictures, keeping a cautionary distance from the inert Paladin on the stage. Everything about the girl _screamed_ professional to Richard's senses. Her care in preserving the scene, her attention to detail… everything except her _age_. She was showing years of experience, but she couldn't have been anything more than a first-year at the huntsmen academy.

It took twenty minutes for the girl to finally seem satisfied with her investigating, the entire time of which Richard hardly dared to breathe, let alone move. It wasn't until he heard the echoing _click_ of the door latching shut that he allowed himself to drop back down onto the Paladin. He could hear the distant sirens getting closer, so he took the time to scribble a quick note and leave it taped to the entry hatch before hopping to the ground and exiting out the back.

* * *

"How is she?"

"Which one?"

"Signum, if you will. Glynda is keeping an eye on Ms. Rose for me."

"Sleeping, finally. Signum is… proud, and she refused sedation and even painkillers because she didn't want to lose any of her mental acuity, even temporarily. Hayate finally had to order her to accept medication from the surgeons." Lindy rubbed her face, then glanced down when she heard something clunk on the glass table.

"It isn't your green tea, but hopefully it will do." Ozpin smiled kindly, and Lindy managed a smile back. Barely. The headmaster picked up on that. "That your subordinate's injuries weigh so heavily on you speaks well for your character, Admiral."

"Thank you, Headmaster. I hope you understand that I'd much rather the window into my character had no reason to be apparent, though."

"Of course. What is her prognosis?"

"Yuuno was able to sneak in a minimal amount of healing magic before the paramedics got close, but," Lindy lifted the mug of coffee in both hands and sipped before continuing, "Not enough to do much more than keep her from bleeding out. Unfortunately, the paramedics took record of her injuries, and so any further attempts to heal her will be… suspect. She is currently resting in Beacon's medical ward, as you are aware. Her Aura is strong and is hastening her healing, but the doctor is expecting her to be bedridden for the rest of the week."

"Unfortunate. Do they think she will regain use of the arm?"

Lindy smiled, but it was something of a grimace. "They do not, but she will. I asked Hayate; Signum is a _Wolkenritter._ Any wound that does not manage to kill her, she will recover from completely given time. She will not scar, and she will not require physical therapy."

Ozpin thought about that for a moment, nodding slowly. "Which means her recovery will cause questions. We will deal with that when it comes, then."

A few minutes passed in silence, the only notable sound being the constant ticking of gears. Ozpin stood, walking to the curving window and looking out across the nightscape of Vale. "Tell me, if you will, exactly what transpired during the riot. Know that I am not judging your actions, just that I want your perspective."

"It… well, we don't know what caused it, but it was composed entirely of faunus. Mostly those wearing the uniform and mask of the White Fang group, according to Ms. Belladonna." Lindy sipped her coffee again, leaning back in her seat. "We split into two groups. Given that some of my people were… impaired at the time, Team JNPR as well as Yuuno, Arf, and myself, coordinated with local police forces to set up a staging area for incoming police units, and to protect and provide relief for those fleeing the violence. Team RWBY, with Fate, Signum, and Zafira, moved in behind the riot to mitigate the damage and assist the wounded."

"Given that there were injuries sustained…?"

"The… _leader figure_ of the riot noticed Weiss Schnee, and made a blatant attempt to kill her. The rest followed suit. Signum fought the leader to a standstill, while Zafira, Ruby, and Yang kept the rest off of Weiss, who persevered in her attempts to contain the fires." Lindy paused, swirling her coffee and watching the dark liquid slosh. "The riot itself ended there. It turned into a brawl, to put it simply. Once it was over, and Yuuno arrived on scene to help Signum."

"And Zafira is well, I hope?"

"A few cracked ribs, and a lot of bruising. He is… upset, because of Signum's injuries. His mood will improve as she recovers, I am sure." Lindy raised the mug to her lips for a moment, then let herself show a small smile. "I'm proud of them all, but yours especially. Even the youngest of my crew have been in this line of work for half a decade. Yours are still students. They saved lives last night."

Ozpin turned away from the window, giving Lindy a gracious nod. "My thanks for your words."

"How is Ruby?"

"Shaken, though I believe she will be all right. She had a rude awakening tonight, but she has her team supporting her." Ozpin sipped his coffee, walking back to the desk. "Is there anything else of note?"

"Yes, actually. My daughter found the warehouse where the riot started." Lindy pulled out her scroll, bringing up an image. "She found this inside, before directing police units to the site."

Ozpin sat back down in his chair, accepting the scroll to look at the picture. His eyebrows rose. "One of James' Paladins."

"Indeed. Which brings me to another matter that I've been wanting to speak to you about. Tell me more about the CCTS."

* * *

The ropes creaked every time she turned over, announcing their complaints whenever the suspended bed swung the slightest bit. The room was dark, only faint hints of light coming in from behind the curtain and under the door.

Ruby shifted again, trying to get comfortable. She fumbled with her blankets, kicking them up and trapping them under her elbows, then pushed them back down with her feet. Rolling onto her side, she let her hands flop over the edge of the bed where they wouldn't touch the sheets.

Ten minutes later found her even more on edge. The air over her hands was cold and clammy, and every time she clenched her fingers they felt tacky. _Sticky_. She didn't want to grab the blanket to adjust it; she didn't want to touch _anything._

Sitting up set the bed to creaking again. Ruby blew her bangs out of her eyes in a huff of exhausted irritation, and hopped down. She landed poorly, falling back and bumping her rear into Weiss' bed. Ruby stammered a hushed apology before her partner could say anything, then padded quietly through the room.

Turning the knob on the bathroom door proved to be a challenge, but she managed to catch it between her forearms and twist it until it unlatched. Ruby nudged the door open with her foot, slipping into the bathroom and catching the interior knob with her forearm to tug it shut. After a moment of tumbling, she elbowed the light switch and flipped it up.

Ruby blinked. "Weiss?"

Weiss was sitting on the toilet cover, wearing her nightgown and hair unbound, knees pulled up to her chest. She was blinking, squinting up at the sudden invasion of light. "R-ruby?"

"Weiss, what's wrong?" Her partner had tracks down her cheeks, and her eyes were red and puffy. The front of her nightgown was wet with tears.

"N-nothing! Nothing, I'm absolutely fine!" The white-haired girl shot to her feet, full of denial. Weiss' public mask slipped into place, composing her expression through force of will… but unshed tears still sparkled in her eyes.

Ruby reached out to touch Weiss' arm, but then her eyes flicked down to her own- s _ticky-_ fingers. She yanked her arm back, clutching her hands together tightly. Weiss started at the sudden motion, looking at her. "A-are you sure you're okay? You can… you can talk to me. I'm your partner."

Weiss just stared at her, then the heiress' ice-blue gaze focused on her tightly-wrapped hands. Ruby turned away, fumbling with the faucet handles and grabbing the bar of soap on the sink. In the mirror, she could see her own face was pale.

The soap bubbled in her hands, covering them in white suds. Ruby scrubbed industriously, talking without even thinking about what she was saying. "Cr-crazy night, you know? I don't think anyone expected to get caught up in that kind of thing, but then off we went and there were angry people everywhere and the buildings were on fire and people were-" Her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

Weiss stepped close, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "H-hey, calm down."

The suds were still white. Ruby scrubbed harder, hearing herself babble. "-people were hurt, Weiss. They were bleeding everywhere and we had to help them and Signum was bleeding and-"

"Ruby!" Hands grabbed hers, and Ruby felt a shriek rise in her throat. She tore her hands from Weiss' grasp, stumbling back and falling to the floor. "Ruby, what's wrong? Tell me!"

"I- I can't-, the-" She felt the first tears start to flow, soapy- _sticky-_ fingers plucking at her nightshirt, until Weiss handed her a washrag. "The blood won't c-come off, Weiss! I k-keep washing and washing, but it won't come off and it's red and sticky and it won't come off!"

"Oh, Ruby…" Weiss sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She twitched when Weiss rested a hand on top of hers, but didn't try to pull away again.

Moments became minutes, and Ruby's sobs eventually subsided to silent tears. She leaned against Weiss, grateful for the contact.

Weiss broke the silence, voice barely more than a whisper. "You said I can talk to you, right? Because you're my partner."

Ruby nodded, wiping at her eyes with the back of her forearm. "I-I did."

"Then Ruby, you need to promise me that you'll talk to me, too. I'm your partner."

She felt her eyes tear up again, but she nodded, sniffling. "I promise."

"Then _talk,_ Ruby."

Ruby bit her lip, looking down at her- _sticky-_ hands. She was calmer now, at least. "I k-keep seeing blood on my hands, Weiss. I c-can't wash it away, and I feel like I'm staining everything I touch with-" She hiccuped, and gave her head a shake. "-with red."

Weiss pulled her a little closer, waiting for her to continue. Ruby searched for more words, then shrugged helplessly, another single sob bubbling up past her lips. She clutched the washrag between her fingers, absently rubbing at- _sticky-_ crimson stains.

A long minute passed, and the silence eventually made Ruby turn her head. Weiss was crying again, silent tears sliding down her cheeks to drip off her chin. "I… th-they were going to kill me, Ruby. I wasn't even trying to fight them, and they were going to k-kill me because of _who I am."_

"Weiss…"

"W-what did I ever do to them, Ruby? I never hurt any of them, I don't w-want to hurt them! A-and they were going to kill me because of my name! B-because of my _name!_ Not my _actions_ , not my _words,_ but because I was b-born a _Schnee!"_

Ruby started to put her arms around her partner, but then caught sight of- _sticky-_ red blood. She felt her arms freeze, halfway around Weiss. It was enough, though. The heiress bawled, collapsing against her and hiding her face in the crook of Ruby's shoulder. "I was s-so scared! I was so scared and I couldn't run and I, I-" Words failed her then, and Ruby could only hold Weiss close while she cried.


	13. Chapter 13

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 13 - Cute Fuzzy Ears

The first thing out of her mouth was a window-shaking yawn. Yang sat up, shedding her blankets as she stretched her arms behind her head. Below her, she could hear Blake shifting about on the lower bunk. "Blake, what day is it?"

"Tuesday."

Yang frowned, glancing at the clock. Eight-fifteen glared back at her in red numbers. "I can't remember the last time I didn't wake up to Ruby's weekday whistle." Yang glanced across the room. Her sister's hanging bunk was empty. "Huh. Where is she? Did she and Weiss leave already?"

"They're…" Blake paused, then spoke again, quieter. "They're in the bathroom."

Something in her partner's tone of voice caught Yang's attention. "I know they're partners, but I can't imagine Weiss is letting Ruby help her with her makeup." Yang hopped down, padding toward the bathroom door. Her hand touched the knob.

"Yang, wait." Blake was beside her, pulling Yang's hand away. "They had a bad night."

The brawler pursed her lips. "I gathered that." She grabbed the knob again, and twisted it as quietly as possible, cracking the door to peek inside. Weiss and Ruby were sitting in a pile against the wall, holding each other tightly even in slumber. She closed the door, frown deepening.

"See?"

"How'd you know?" Blake's ears twitched in response. "Right. How late were they up? What did you hear?"

"I don't _try_ to eavesdrop, you know."

"Blake, she's my little sister. What do I need to know?"

Her partner sighed, sitting back down on her bed. "I didn't hear as much as you think. They were pretty quiet, but… fear has a pretty distinct smell."

Yang sighed, then opened the door again. She stepped into the room, bending down to scoop both of the girls up into her arms in one bundle. They didn't even rouse, only clinging more firmly to each other. Yang carried them to the heiress' bed, glancing at Blake and then nodding down at the blankets.

Blake pulled the layers back, and Yang set the girls down on the mattress. Blake grabbed Ruby's pillow from the top bunk, and together they tucked the fitfully sleeping pair in. "I'll make sure to take notes. Let's check on them again before our second class?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

The ear-shattering screech right next to her head blasted her out of a vague, shifting dream. Weiss sat up clutching her ears. "WOULD YOU STOP DOIN-"

"HOLY CRAP THAT'S LOUD!" Ruby lurched upright next to her, jostling Weiss and nearly knocking her off the bed.

Weiss blinked when she realized Ruby was just as surprised as she was, and then noticed Yang's grinning face and Ruby's whistle held between her fingers. "Rise and shine, sleepyheads!"

Blood rushed to her face when she realized that she and Ruby were in her bed. Her ears heated when she realized Yang had found them like that. "I- This- It's not what it looks like!"

"You mean how it looks like you too were totally sleeping the day away in each other's arms? Weiss, you _menace!"_ Yang cackled with laughter, and behind her Blake was holding her face in her hands. Ruby was stammering denials and apologies as well.

"I don't- how did we- _What happened?!"_ _I don't remember getting back into bed, and I sure as hell don't remember bringing Ruby with me!_

Yang laughed even louder, plopping onto the end of the mattress and slapping her knee in mirth. "It's fine, it's fine! Blake and I tucked you in, that's all. I don't think I could have pulled you apart without waking you up, and you looked like you needed the extra sleep. Don't worry, Blake took notes for you."

"Oh." The blush faded, but then came back full forth. Yang and Blake had found them in a completely _different_ compromising position. "W-well. Thank you. I guess."

Ruby untangled her feet from the sheets, slipping out of bed with a blush on her own cheeks. "W-what time is it?"

"Just after noon. Don't worry. Ozpin excused us for the rest of the day. Glynda wants to have a debriefing with us now that we're rested. Jaune says he'll get us our reading assignments."

"That's… good. I just hope they're legible." Weiss noticed that Ruby was just sort of standing there, and gave her a nudge, catching her eye. "Go wash up, Ruby." She let the expression on her face say the rest. _I'm here if you need me._

Ruby nodded a little, and disappeared into the bathroom, and after a moment Weiss heard water splashing into the sink. She sighed, glancing down at the wrapping around her sword hand. With a grimace, she peeled the cloth away to check the blisters on her palm and fingers. Little remained other than reddened skin and a little bit of flaking.

Weiss gathered her clothing for the day, and after two more minutes knocked on the bathroom door. She heard a yelp and some fumbling. "I-I'll be out in a sec!" The water cut off a moment later, and then the door opened. Ruby slipped out, worrying her hands a little. But she gave Weiss a small smile and a murmured thanks as she squeezed past her.

Washing the salt from her face did wonders for Weiss' mood. Weiss bustled around for a moment longer, letting the normalcy of the moment relax her still-racing thoughts. Clothed and prepared for the day, she stepped out of the bathroom to find the rest of her team bickering. _As usual._ "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Since we've got the day free until we have to talk to Professor Goodwitch, would you help me go over Myrtenaster's maintenance? I had to hold some powered Dust for longer than I meant to, and I want to be sure that I didn't damage anything."

"Sure! Wait, are you really going to let me help you with Myrtenaster _?_ You've never let me touch her before!"

"Yes, Ruby. I'm going to let you help with it. And when we're done with that, will you let me help you with Crescent Rose?" Weiss shot Yang a glare when the blonde cat-called at her, but otherwise refused to take the bait. _Come on, Ruby. Get back on the horse._

"I…" Ruby bit her lip, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great. It might be a little, uhm. _Messy,_ though. You might want to bring an old shirt."

"I'll wear a smock. Let's go, then."

Yang and Blake decided to tag along. Yang said something about giving _Ember Celica_ a proper once-over, and Blake simply said that it should be quiet enough for her to read. Team RWBY made a quick stop at the cafeteria for lunch, then grabbed their weapons from the lockers and found an empty maintenance room.

Weiss busied herself with removing the Dust vials from _Myrtenaster's_ revolver chamber, both annoyed and happy to have Ruby leaning over her shoulder, watching in rapt attention. She took the time to show Ruby how each part disconnected, and then used a small vacuum hose to suck any clinging Dust from the weapon's interior channels. Further inspection found nothing by the way of metal fatigue, not that Weiss had really expected anything. _Myrtenaster_ was crafted by a master weaponsmith employed by the Schnees and could withstand hundreds of maneuvers like Weiss had performed the night before, after all; it had been an excuse to get Ruby moving.

Satisfied, she let Ruby reassemble the rapier under her watchful gaze. When that was over, Weiss picked up _Crescent Rose_ and set it on the table. "Your turn, partner. Show me how she works."

Ruby nodded slowly, pursing her lips as she picked her weapon up and unfolded it. _Messy is right._ The silver blade was stained with drying blood; darker splashes even covered the red cowling above the edge. Weiss gave Ruby's shoulder a reassuring squeeze when she hesitated, and the girl managed a small smile over her shoulder. Then she set the scythe on the table, grabbing the first tool needed to start the disassembly.

It took nearly an hour to scrub the blood away and lubricate the mechanisms inside. Twice Ruby had to stop, clenching her hands to stop them from shaking. Weiss saw Blake and Yang both watching, concern on their faces, and shook her head to keep them from making a fuss. Yang had a mutinous cast to her features by the second time, and only Blake's hand on her shoulder kept her seated.

Finally, though, the scythe came back together, edges shining in the light from the overhead lamps and parts sliding over each other with perfect precision. Weiss made a point of grabbing the dirtied rags and tossing them in the nearest hamper. When she saw Ruby worrying her hands again, she placed hers over the girl's until the spastic motions stopped. Ruby's shoulders stiffened, then the tension drained away. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah…" Ruby got to her feet, and managed two steps away from the table before she was glomped by a yellow tornado. "Y-yang! Yang! Put me dooown!"

"Nope! You look like you need a big sister hug, so you're getting a big sister hug!"

"Yaaaaa~aaaang!"

Weiss sputtered, about to shout, but then Blake's hand on her shoulder stopped her. The faunus drew her away, a small smile on her lips. "You're her partner, but she's Yang's sister. I think they both need this."

* * *

The sound of metal ringed against metal, the bursts of dust rounds echoing through the chamber, and the grunts and exclamations wove together into a veritable symphony of battle. Jaune leaned forward in his seat, hands clasped between his knees, following every strike and motion. Pyrrha and Signum had been drilling him on that. _Don't just stand there slack-jawed and gape at the spectacle. Watch it and glean what you can._

To his left, Signum was sitting as well, despite every effort of the infirmary's staff to keep her in bed. Her left arm was heavily bandaged and held in a sling, and there was the bulk of a thick dressing under the back of her shirt, but she held her posture straight and proud in defiance of the injuries. "I had thought she was skilled when we sparred, but I can see that she truly shines against multiple opponents," the knight commented.

"It's… her placement and awareness, isn't it? She always knows where everyone is around her."

Across from Signum, Zafira rumbled approval. The wolfman was sporting the remains of an impressive black eye, already faded to near invisibility against his tanned skin. "Economy of motion. Every strike she makes sets her up to assault another target. She keeps them all off balance that way, wearing them down continuously instead of focusing on a single target."

A loud _smash_ heralded the end of the battle as Pyrrha slammed Cardin Winchester into the ground, using his back to break her own fall. The Auras of all four members of Team CRDL had dipped below fifteen percent, and the red-haired champion hadn't taken a single hit. Professor Goodwitch called the match, thanking Pyrrha and CRDL for their efforts.

The professor started asking if anyone else would like to have a match, since there was still some time before the class ended. Jaune gave Pyrrha a thumbs up from his seat in the stands, and caught her return smile.

One of Haven's transfer students stood up and volunteered. Jaune recognized the grey-haired teen from the night that JNPR had stolen into Drydock Six. Then the student singled out Pyrrha.

Behind him, Arf straightened up. "Hey, that's… Yuuno!"

"I see him." Jaune craned around in time to see the bespectacled blonde frown. "Apparently Haven needs to teach their students better manners."

"Wait. You know him?" Jaune looked at the orange-haired girl.

"Seen him before. Interrupted him and some green haired girl trying to shake down a bookstore owner." Arf frowned as well, scanning the stands. "Shit, there she is."

Pyrrha had accepted the challenge, and her opponent's data appeared on the big screen overhead. _Mercury Black._ Jaune frowned. Even his ID picture looked smug.

The match started, and Jaune didn't let himself dwell on Mercury's appearance any longer. Instead he focused on the fighter's stance, the way he shifted his weight from leg to leg.

The two came together in a flurry of blows, and Pyrrha immediately took the offensive. It didn't last long though, and Jaune could see the tide turn, back and forth in a matter of moments. He let out an impressed noise, but even as he did, he couldn't help but notice something was wrong. Mercury's motions seemed… off, as fast as they were. Like he was hesitating, deliberately.

He heard a rumbling growl. Jaune glanced over. ZFSH's leader was leaning forward on the edge of his seat, teeth bared. "Zafira? This doesn't seem..."

"You noticed that the boy is throwing the fight. Intentionally," the wolf faunus replied. Signum was scowling as well, her uncovered hand clenched into a fist.

"Wait, seriously?" Jaune looked back down in time to see _Milo_ fly from Pyrrha's hand from an almost _negligent_ kick from Mercury, and then her lean back to avoid a roundhouse kick that nearly caught her across the jaw. Mercury stumbled away, slightly off-balance, and Pyrrha took the chance to grab her sword.

Jaune saw it then. As Mercury leapt off of Pyrrha's shield, he could see the _lack of care_ in the fighter's motion. Then the kid had the audacity to _forfeit._ Jaune felt a spark of anger, and found himself on his feet. "What the hell!"

The room went quiet, and Jaune realized he'd _shouted_ the words. Pyrrha looked up at him in surprise. Mercury narrowed his eyes at Jaune. Professor Goodwitch pushed her glasses up her nose. "Would you care to explain your outburst, Mr. Arc?"

"I…" Every eye in the room was on him now, and he nearly sat back down. But instead he slammed his palm on the railing. "Yes, I would! Mercury Black isn't fighting like he's capable of! He's _disrespecting_ Pyrrha by not giving his all to the sparring match, right after he asked to fight her! It's, it's _arrogant_ and _conceited_ , and he's treating this like a _joke!"_

Disquieted murmurs started up throughout the stands. Professor Goodwitch frowned, raising her voice to be heard. "Mr. Arc, that's not-"

"I challenge Mercury Black!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's eyes were wide.

"I may not be anywhere near his skill, but I challenge him and I'm willing to give it everything I have! He may not have any respect for this, but we all do!"

The murmurs turned into shouts and calls, cheering him on. Even _Cardin_ was lending his voice. Professor Goodwitch shook her head, calling for silence.

It took long moments for the yelling to stop. Goodwitch shook her head again. "Be that it may, unfortunately this class period is over. There simply is not time for another sparring match. This is a class for _learning,_ not for settling _matters of honor,_ Mr. Arc."

The buzzer sounded, signalling the end of the class. Disappointed groans answered the signal, and students started filing out of the stands. Zafira caught his eye and gave him a small, sharp nod of approval, which Jaune managed to return. What stuck with him and buoyed him throughout the day, though, was the glowering anger on Mercury Black's flushed face.

* * *

Blake flipped to the next page of Jaune's notes, squinting a little to read his messy handwriting. Still, she had to give him credit; usually the leader of Team JNPR didn't pay the best attention in class, and what notes he did take were a near-incomprehensible scrawl of short hand. While hard to read, the day's notes were complete and well ordered, meaning that the youngest Arc had taken into account that his friends would be depending on him. It allowed for a fairly pleasant time, all things considered.

The library was quiet, especially in the secluded corner that Blake had come to enjoy. Yang had dragged Ruby off to a new bakery that had opened in Vale, and Weiss was… off doing Weiss things. The heiress was at least responding to Blake's intermittent texts, so she felt she didn't need to worry.

She glanced up when she heard footsteps. Fate gave a small wave as she approached. "May I join you?"

 _What for?_ Blake felt a wave of suspicious concern, and gave the _space detective_ a quick once over. School uniform, notebook, and a gold triangle pin over her breast pocket. "I guess so? I'm not doing anything that's very interesting, though."

"That's fine. I was just looking to do some studying."

Fate took a seat across from her, setting her notebook on the table. Blake's eyes fell on the large pin she was wearing. _I think I've seen that before._ Blake glanced around, making sure they were alone. "Is that… Bardiche?"

"Mm. He helps me a lot when I'm going through data." Fate expanded her scroll and set it on the table, and through the back of the screen Blake could see a small chat window pop up. Fate flipped open her notebook, muttering words that held no meaning to Blake. Lines of text appeared in the little window in response each time, and she realized Fate was holding an active conversation with the device.

Even after all they'd seen so far of the TSAB refugees, they'd still just felt like _people_. Hearing the girl speak words that had no home on Remnant, as well as seeing the strange letters through the screen, helped Blake solidify in her mind just how _different_ the refugees actually were from them. _But maybe that's the point of getting to know them like we have. They are just people._ She was pondering that thought, when she heard distinctly Valean words from Fate's mouth. _White Fang._

 _Space Detective._ She reflexively glanced back up at Fate's face, but the girl wasn't looking at her at all. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, even as search windows opened and displayed article after article from the local news sites. Her hand scribbled indecipherable words on her notepad.

 _She's not studying for classes, she's reading about the White Fang. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You let your guard down and now she's right here and she's seconds away from… from…_

But nothing happened. Fate just kept reading and writing, murmuring to her device in that strange language. Moments turned into minutes, and Blake realized she'd been hardly daring to breathe. As quietly as she could, she exhaled and inhaled, trying to clear her mind. _No, she's not after you. She thinks of you as a friend, that's all._ It took some effort, but eventually she tore her gaze away from the articles and went back to Jaune's notes.

An hour passed in increasingly companionable silence. Blake closed her notebook, stacking it with Jaune's, then looked up at Fate again. She hardly dared to ask the question, and opted to play it safe. "What are you working on?"

"Hm? Oh. I'm reading about the-" Fate broke off into a yawn, covering her mouth. "Sorry. I'm reading about the White Fang. Our _intro course_ with Professor Goodwitch didn't go into very much detail, but after last night, well…"

"You thought it best to look for more information?"

"Yes."

"Do you… mind if I watch?"

"Not at all." Fate scooted out the chair next to her, and Blake eased into the offered seat.

Blake chewed her lip for a moment. "You're an-" She paused, glancing around again. "-an _enforcer,_ right? A detective?"

"That's right."

"How long have you been one?"

"I started training around six years ago. Chrono's been my mentor since I started. He's still my superior, but I've been solo qualified for years."

"Six _years?_ You're my age, right?"

Fate smiled, rubbing her eyes. "Yes. Back home, you can start… _young,_ if you're capable enough and mature enough to make a difference. Chrono was already an ace enforcer when he was fourteen."

Blake could only nod. When she was eleven years old, she was still waving signs with other protesters, hoping to make a difference. "How are you… searching for information?"

"I'm cross referencing. You can't just pick from a single source of information, or you only get one side of the story. The more alternative viewpoints you can get, even if they're all extremist views, the more you can see of the bigger picture. It's very, very rare that anyone is as good or as bad as the people shouting say they a-" Fate caught another yawn, blushing and apologizing.

Blake looked at her again. The blonde had bags under her eyes, and while her eyes were still clear, there were definite hints of exhaustion. "Fate… did you _sleep_ last night?"

She shook her head. "No, I was… busy. Debriefing with Lindy, then debriefing with the headmaster, then checking in on Signum… by the time I was done with everything, it was already morning and I had class."

"That's not healthy, Fate. Even if you are… well… really good at this kind of thing."

"I'm used to it. Long hours are part of the jo-aaaaawh-b." She blushed again, looking down at her hands. "...usually Arf goes and gets me a cup of coffee when I'm working late, but she's been busy with her own classes today, and…"

Blake sighed, then smiled. "Take a break, Fate. If you're so determined to keep working, I'll go get you a pick-me-up while you rest your eyes. Coffee or tea?"

"Okay… okay. Coffee, black. Thank you." Fate leaned back in her chair, closing the scroll and letting her head tip back.

The cafeteria was across the campus center from the library building. Blake deliberately walked at a slower pace than normal, enjoying the late-afternoon air. Sending a text to Weiss as she walked, Blake could almost _hear_ the girl's piqued reply when she responded. ' _I'm_ _fine_ _.'_

Getting a mug of coffee and a small plate of biscuits only took a moment, but it was still nearly twenty minutes later when she got back to their table. She found Fate resting her head in her arms, lightly dozing. Blake set the tray and mug down, taking her seat and gently touching Fate's shoulder. "Up and at 'em, detective."

"Mwuh?" Fate sat back up, blinking blearily. She fumbled for the cup of coffee with one hand, and reached for Blake's shoulder with the other. "...nnnf. Thanks, Arf.."

 _Arf?_ Blake's mind locked on the misnomer, and too late she realized that Fate's hand was aiming a bit too high for her _shoulder_. Her eyes widened, but she felt frozen in place. All she managed was a choked noise before Fate's fingers settled in her hair, fingernails scritching at the base of her faunus ears. "Kh-fwa?! F-fate!"

"What? Didju change conditioner'r somethin'? Feels… silky." Fate sipped her coffee. She blinked, and the befuddled glaze over her eyes cleared. Her head snapped to the side, meeting Blake's bewildered, almost affronted gaze.

Blake couldn't respond, trapped between mortification and the acknowledgement that _dammit, this feels good._ She swallowed, cheeks heating until she thought her face would catch on fire.

Fate pulled her hand away as if burned. "Oh geez, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I completely forgot where I was and usually Arf complains if I _don't_ give her a scratch and, and-mmph!"

The stammering blonde was silenced by Blake's hand over her mouth. She made a questioning sound, and Blake just shook her head, fighting to get her blush under control. "Shh."

"Bummph-"

"Shh!" Blake waited until Fate stopped trying to talk, then slowly released her. She reached up to fuss with her ribbon, tugging it back into place over her ears. "This _never_ happened."

Fate's face was as red as Blake's had felt. The blonde nodded quickly. "What never happened." The words were spoken with finality.

* * *

"Exactly."

"So you want us to spread the word to keep an eye out for a blonde chick from Beacon? You know there are _dozens_ of them, right? Even the deputy headmaster is blonde."

Richard rubbed his face. "Yes. Human, less than five and a half feet tall, impressive figure, dresses to show it off. Her hair's blonde, probably every bit of three feet long, straight. And she's a Beacon student, which means she carries a huntress weapon. High caliber pistol, I think it was a revolver. About as long as my damned forearm, and it had a bayonet. She was wearing black, her gun is black and gold."

His contact was jotting down the girl's description, nodding slowly. "Anything else you can remember? More details are better."

"...yeah, actually. Red eyes, like the color of blood."

The girl made an acknowledging noise. "...odd color for a human."

"Odd color for _anyone,_ human or faunus. Doesn't change what I saw."

"I got it." She flipped the page, then glanced back up at him. One of her ears twitched a few times, and she raised a hand to rub at the fur. "Anything else?"

He thought about it, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. We need to make this movement more official. We need to show the world that we're taking a stance. We need to show them that the majority of faunus want to be _equals._ The White Fang is no longer acting in the best interests of the faunus people as a whole, and we need to show the world that we will not stand for it anymore." Richard paused for a moment longer, rubbing his chin. "We need to show the world that we're willing to stop our own when they go too far."

She looked at him over the rims of her glasses. "That's going to upset a lot of people, Xerxes."

"Then it'll upset a lot of people. Do we want to be accepted as equals, willingly included with open arms? Or do we want to be accepted out of fear, with scared glances and the worry of _what we'll do if they say no?_ One may be easier, but which one builds a better society? The Fang has lost touch with its own people's needs."

* * *

The warehouse was empty, thankfully. Torchwick pulled the man door shut behind him, then gripped his cane in hand and strode toward the map tables set up against the wall. _Just need to take some time to get reoriented, and-_

"Roman. Where have you been?"

 _Oh for fuck's sake._ "Cinder! Of all the people who could be waiting for me. I'm flattered!" Torchwick turned around, touching two fingers to his hat. "What's the occasion?"

"You've been gone all day, Roman. I don't like waiting."

"Yeah, well I don't like sticking around when the wolves are after my scent. In case you weren't aware, things got a little _violent_ last night." He pulled a cigar from his pocket, snipping off the tip and tossing it aside.

Cinder tilted her head, frowning. "I heard. It was unexpec-"

"Bullshit." Torchwick cut her off. He lit the stogie with a flourish, puffing twice to get it going, and then pocketed his lighter. "Cinder, if you didn't see that coming from _miles_ away, you're blind, and it was your little _brats'_ faults. They _screwed the pooch_ trying to kill Tukson. Keep a better fucking leash on them."

The bitch's eyes flared, and Torchwick pursed his lips. "You were supposed to deal with him before we got here, Roman."

"And I _had_ that situation under control _._ Tukson wasn't dangerous while he was sitting in his little bookstore planning to run home to Vacuo. People didn't care about him anymore. He'd gone _soft._ Even if he _had_ gotten away, it wouldn't have done anything. But after your _idiots_ went and _fucked everything up,_ the guy's become a rallying point. You know what they were calling you at that zoo of a recruitment meet?"

"That doesn't-"

" _The human bitch that has Taurus licking her heels._ You've _earned their hate,_ Cinder! You! Personally! And they were going to kill me because of it. Well _fuck_ that." Torchwick plucked the cigar from his mouth to spit on the ground, then pointed the cherry-red tip at her. "I'm not _dying_ for your grand games, Cinder. No more White Fang for me! No more faunus! Find another liaison to play with the mangy animals."

"Roman. Need I remind you of our _agreement?"_

"Fuck's sake, Cinder. I'm not quitting, so don't hold it over my head like that. I can still get you all the Dust you need. I can get you in touch with any shady son of a bitch in the city, _as long as they're human._ But I'm not risking my hairless hide with the faunus anymore. From _day one_ they were _this close,_ " he held up his hand, finger and thumb a hairsbreadth apart, " _THIS close_ to tearing out my throat because I didn't have a pair of cute fuzzy ears. Now? Now they've been _pushed_ over the edge. I'm not going anywhere near them."

She stared at him long and hard. For a moment, the glow in her eyes intensified, and smoke started to rise from where her heels touched the concrete. Then it vanished, and she sneered. "Fine. But if you're going to be focusing on Dust, then I expect to see _results,_ Roman." Cinder turned away, heels issuing sharp _clacks_ with each step as she disappeared into the gloom.

Torchwick watched her retreating form. "Results?" He spread his hands out to encompass the crates and crates of Dust in the warehouse, stacked floor to ceiling in places. " _Results?_ As if this doesn't count? Greedy, greedy."

 _I really hate her sometimes. Wait, I really hate her most of the time._ Torchwick turned back to his maps, sighing. _Okay. Dust, Dust, Dust. This is what I'm good at, and if I'm doing solo operations it just means I don't have to worry about anyone fucking up on me. At least Neo knows what she's doing._

Hours later, Roman was rubbing his head in frustration, hat discarded on the table beside him. _Dammit. I've hit just about every damned stockpile in the city. Where the hell am I going to find Dust that doesn't have enough guards around it to kill a rampaging Goliath?_

He grabbed a stack of trade-route reports, going over listed shipments from the SDC and other, smaller Dust companies. Scouted by White Fang elements as they traveled, he had detailed information on the visible security arrangement. _Too many, too many… FUCK._

The shipment reports were tossed aside, and he grabbed up the next item in the pile. _Construction yards… ha. Okay, so Beacon's put in a maintenance request for a few of their bullheads, that's cute. The Vale Metropolitan Transport Service ordered a new passenger ship last week… that has potential. Hm- What's this?_

Roman tilted his head. _Drydock report, derelict airship recovered and mothballed for scrapping?_ That didn't just have potential, that was _full_ of possibilities. _A cruiser class airship has a lot of Dust in its lifting arrays, and there's a very real chance it won't be nearly as well guarded as the rest of it is around this city._

He poured over the drydock information a bit more, then grabbed his scroll and tapped out a message. ' _Neo. Got a plan. Find me anything you can on an old airship called the 'Stairway to Heaven' and its recovery. Don't do anything drastic yet, just what you can find out from public info.'_


	14. Chapter 14

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 14 - Action and Consequences

"...and the entire _wall_ came down with the impact, I tell you! It was an amazing display of destructive power from a Creature of Grimm so small! But even in the face of that much devastation, I didn't let it stop me!" Peter Port swept his hands out, mustache bristling expressively with his every word. "I jumped up on the fallen brick and brought my axe down on the bourbatusk's neck, and put an _end_ to its tyranny!" He brought his hands down in a chopping motion, before straightening and surveying the lecture hall full of his students.

 _Drat. I lost half of them again. Damn you, sleep, you blissful temptress._ Fully a third of his class was slumped over in their chairs. Most of the new refugee students were awake, at least… except for that faunus girl, of course. Weiss Schnee was attentive as usual, unlike her partner- _Wait. Ms. Rose usually passes out within fifteen minutes._ Instead of her normal _lack_ of activity, the red huntress-in-training was fidgeting in her seat, absently rubbing her hands together. Her teammate glanced over, and without making a fuss placed her hand over Ruby's until the motions stopped.

 _Interesting._

"Anyways! The point being, you cannot give up against a stronger opponent! You must use your _intelligence,_ your _cunning,_ and the other aspects that set us above the Creatures of Grimm! For example, hardly two days after dealing with the boarbatusk that was terrorizing the village, I…" Port heard himself droning on, for once letting it happen intentionally. After teaching for twenty years he could tell most of his stories in his sleep, after all; his wife had recorded it once, and played the recording back during one of his classes a few years back as a joke. The students had never even noticed…

 _Good gracious me, I even digress to myself._

No, there was a reason he was letting himself go on autopilot for the moment. It didn't require any thought, which let him focus on some of his students. Ruby Rose paying attention was the first clue that something was off with the girl. Now that he was watching, he saw that the worrying of her hands was, while not constant, definitely recurring. Her partner and teammate was aware of it as well, giving the younger girl reassuring touches and smiles.

Suddenly the bell rang, sneaking up on him like a thief in the night. _Drat. Surprises me every time._ "The stunning conclusion will have to wait until next class. Students, please rea- STUDENTS! PLEASE READ CHAPTER SIX IN YOUR TEXTS BEFORE NEXT CLASS. THANK YOU." He had to raise his voice over the bustle of hurried movement. "And Ms. Schnee! If you would remain behind for a moment, please?"

Weiss looked up sharply, caught by surprise. He couldn't blame her; the white-haired girl was a model student, and had the highest grade in the class last semester. She glanced down at her teammate, and Ruby gave her a small smile and murmured something to her before flitting out the door. Port wasn't the best lip-reader, but even he could tell what she'd said. ' _I'll be okay._ '

 _Damnable. I just need her to confirm it._

Weiss waited by seat until the rest of the students emptied out of the lecture hall, then made her way down to the floor, back straight and chin high. "You wished to speak with me, Professor?"

"I did. No no, no need to worry, Ms. Schnee. Your performance in class has been nothing but exemplary, and I wish that the other students would show even a quarter of your attentiveness." She preened a little at the compliment, but did her best to hide it. Not that she _could_ hide it from his hawk-like perceptions, of course!

"Oh! Well, thank you, Professor. What do you need?" _Ever the gracious student. She's come a long way since her first day, she has._

"I actually wanted to speak with you about your teammate. How is Ms. Rose?"

"Ruby? She's… fine! I may not have wanted to think it at the beginning of the year, and honestly I believe at the time I was correct, but she is… becoming a great leader now, Professor. You were right, I can admit it now." She paused, and Port could _see_ pride warring with humility in her expression. "I _do_ still think that I would have made a good leader at the time, but Headmaster Ozpin did not make a mistake."

"Ah, well. Yes, I am glad you've come to that conclusion. However, that is not specifically what I was asking." Port stroked his mustache, thinking for a moment. "What I meant was, your teammate did not seem to be acting in her normal manner today. Normally she would be… quite frankly, asleep, or doodling in her notebook. I make no issue of it because she studies the material independently, and maintains good grades."

"Well, yes. I do sometimes have to push her to do her homework."

"Good on you. But that's beside the point. My question, Ms. Schnee, is this; what is bothering your teammate?"

Weiss went still. "...you… you noticed that."

"Yes, Ms. Schnee, I noticed that. I _am_ a professional Huntsman, and I have seen students passing through my classes for decades now. It is not so preposterous to believe that I may have learned how to _read_ my students, is it?" Port allowed a faint bit of sarcasm to show in his voice, but buffered it with the smile that he knew was crinkling his cheeks.

She blushed a little, looking down. "W-well…"

"Take your time, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss took a breath, then looked back up. The _pride_ was back in place, he saw, but it seemed a slightly brittle thing. "We haven't been… sleeping well, the last few days. You, uhm… heard about the-"

"The riot. Yes, I am aware that your team was heavily involved in stopping the damage from spreading. Commendable acts, Ms. Schnee! Heroic, even!"

The girl blushed again, twitching a smile. _Ha. Flattery will get you everywhere, if properly applied._ "Thank you, Professor. But, well… it was," she hesitated to take a breath, "scary. There were people _literally_ trying to kill me, and… Ruby had to hurt a lot of people to keep them off me. She's having a little trouble dealing."

 _She's not the only one, I see._ "Understandably so. Have you two scheduled an appointment with Beacon's psychologist?"

"W-what? No, we're… we're _dealing,_ Professor! It's... It's part of being a huntress. We just have to keep moving forward." She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "One day at a time."

"Hmm. Indeed." Port nodded slowly. "It is indeed, Ms. Schnee. Well, do not let me keep you any longer. I'm sure your teammate is waiting for you. Go on, I need to prepare for my next class."

Weiss nodded a little, and hurried out of the room a little faster than she needed to. Port sighed, sitting down at his desk. His fingers drummed a haphazard beat on the wooden surface, and then he flipped open his scroll.

It rang two times- _as always-_ before connecting. "Headmaster?"

" _Peter. How was your class?"_

"It went well enough. Though, there is another matter I need to speak with you about."

" _Oh? I have a few minutes before my next appointment. Please, continue."_

"Hmm, yes. I believe Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee may have unintentionally met the alternative prerequisites for your Friday seminar."

" _I see. Very well. I will have Glynda inform them of the addition to their schedules."_

* * *

"Here you go! One grande chococaramel cappuccino with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, and one jasmine tea!" Kasta smiled at the red-eyed blonde and her black-haired companion, and was gifted a pair of smiles in return as they took their drinks and moved to the deck outside.

The two girls took a seat under a patio umbrella to shelter from the afternoon sun, opening notebooks and chatting companionably, if sedately. Kasta kept her eyes on them as she cleaned the cafe's espresso machine, noting the particulars of their attire. They were Beacon students, obviously; the cafe caught a fair amount of traffic from the academy, being so close to campus proper. The black-haired girl was dressed in monochrome, and had a black-sheathed sword clinging diagonally to a plate on her upper back, while the blonde was in almost all black.

A gust of wind caught the blonde's coat, and Kasta caught a glimpse of the heavy revolver strapped to her thigh. It _was_ her, the one that Xerxes had told them to keep an eye out for. Kasta slid her scroll into her hand, snapping a quick picture and texting it to him with a short message. ' _Found her. She's at my cafe.'_

* * *

Richard flipped open his scroll, and the picture expanded out into view. He nearly spit out his sip of water when he saw who was sitting with the blonde. "Hot damn."

One of his associates glanced up from his books; the man had been writing the first drafts of an actual organizational charter, and had been at it for hours now. "What is it?"

"The blonde girl that checked out the warehouse. Kasta just got eyes on her, and she's having coffee with Taurus' ex- _catspaw."_

That got his attention. "Wait, the Belladonna girl?"

"Is there another?" Richard was already tapping out a message to Kasta. ' _Maintain observation but don't break cover. I'll get tails on them.'_

"Not that I know of. So we found the one that got away? Taurus would _kill_ for that information."

"Which is _specifically_ why we're not going to tell him. Think about it, they're _Beacon students."_

"Rick, I've been nose deep in political treatise since _noon._ Just tell me what you're thinking."

"We want to go legitimate, right? What could be more legitimate than opening communications with the huntsmen academies? If we can talk to Belladonna without her running away, she could be our in."

"We don't know if she's on the level, though. What if she didn't run away? What if she's in deep cover _for_ Taurus?"

"Then we need to be sure." Richard started typing again. If they were going to be trying to tail _Blake Belladonna,_ he'd need to have his best and most trustworthy taking care of it.

* * *

 _C'mon, Jaune! C'mon, take the opening! It's right there, it's as big as a house and- YES!_ Pyrrha threw herself back to avoid _Crocea Mors,_ forced to abort her own attack routine. She twirled _Milo,_ ringing it against Jaune's shield to keep him from pursuing, and the two separated to eye each other warily.

Jaune was panting for breath, golden hair plastered to his forehead by sweat. Pyrrha let him have his momentary breather, and was pleased to see he never took his eyes off her. She hefted _Akouo_ and charged back in, unable to keep the smile from her lips.

He'd _stood up for her_. In front of the entire class? In front of the entire world for all she cared, he'd stood up for her and called Mercury Black out on his attitude; she'd been a little too busy to see it at the time, but when Nora showed her a recording of the sparring match, it had been obvious. Pyrrha was so happy she wanted to squeal like a little girl, but that wouldn't do at all.

So instead of indulging in joyful hysterics befitting of herself ten years ago, Pyrrha was urging Jaune on, pulling him along with her. Swords sang against each other and shields clashed like cymbals, and when she pulled back to shift _Milo_ to javelin form, Jaune _rushed_ her, taking away her reach advantage. Surprised by the sudden aggression from the normally-defensive fighter, Pyrrha dropped low, planting a hand on the ground and sweeping her shin toward his leading knee-

"Time!"

Pyrrha stopped a scant inch from taking Jaune's leg out from underneath him, looking up at him. She accepted his offered hand with a smile, and pulled herself to her feet. "Good fight, Jaune."

"I'm amazed I… that I managed to not end up on the… the ground this time! Signum, how did I do?" Jaune started to bend over, but then forced himself back upright, trying to bounce lightly on his feet to keep his blood flowing.

The pink-haired knight stood at the edge of their sparring circle, still managing to look noble despite her arm being in a sling. The other was held behind her back, as if she was standing at parade rest. "Acceptably. I noticed two times that Nikos intentionally left you an opening, and the second time you were observant enough to notice it and take advantage of it. Against most other opponents, I believe an opportunity such as that would have been legitimate. You are improving, Arc."

"Woo!" Jaune let out a little victory cheer.

Pyrrha found herself laughing with him for a moment, before looking back to the knight. "Signum? May I ask a question?"

"You may."

"How long have you been a knight? You can't be much older than I am, and-"

"Ah." Signum cut her off, but not unkindly. "That is incorrect. I apologize. While you understand the situation that we 'refugees' are in, you are not aware of my and my fellow knights' specific circumstances." She paused, thinking for a moment. "I must admit that I no longer know how old I am."

"What do you mean? Do you… have _amnesia?"_ Even as she said it, Pyrrha could tell it was a weak possibility.

"No. I am a _Wolkenritter,_ as are Vita, Zafira, and Shamal. We are… constructs of living magic, that used to be organic beings but are no longer such. We can… _pretend_ to be alive, closely enough to fool most forms of observation."

Pyrrha blinked. _She must be joking._ "How old… how much _do_ you remember?"

"Centuries. I can say without exaggeration that the accumulated amount of time I have spent in the midst of battle is longer than you have been alive."

"I don't… that's really hard to… to _believe,_ you realize." Pyrrha turned her head. "Jaune, did you hear-"

He wasn't even paying attention, staring off to the side. Pyrrha followed his gaze to see Weiss tutoring a half dozen of the TSAB students on combat uses of various types of Dust. She nodded a little; Dust was a serious subject matter and Weiss was managing to be quite enthrallingly demonstrative. Intent, focused, and fiercely passionate regarding the topic. Looking back to Jaune though, she realized it wasn't her _demonstration_ that was holding his attention.

Pyrrha's face fell. He was watching _Weiss,_ with that adorable lost puppy-dog expression she wished he'd turn toward her. Just once, just a _single_ time, she wanted him to look at her the way he looked at _Weiss Schnee_. _Milo's_ grip creaked in her hand, and she looked away.

 _Dammit, Jaune._ Pyrrha squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the hot sensation begging to be let loose from them. She took a deep breath, holding it, then let it out. Then another. She opened her eyes.

Signum was staring straight at her, face completely blank except for the faintest, _faintest_ hint of something in her eyes.

The tiniest trace of compassion.

Signum's eyes flicked toward Jaune, then back to Pyrrha. Pyrrha felt her face tighten. Signum gave the smallest nod.

The knight's voice thundered through the air, making Jaune leap nearly a yard straight up. " _Arc_. Raise your shield, break time is over."

Signum glanced at Pyrrha and nodded again. The look in her eyes was as clear as the sun.

 _Go get him._

* * *

Jaune groaned in pain, trying to free himself and failing miserably. _Crocea Mors_ was pierced through the back of his belt, through his _hoodie, punched into the arena floor_ deep enough that his back was bent so far that his feet were resting flat on the ground on either side of his head.

Just at the edge of his vision, Pyrrha was walking away with regal poise, head held high.

He struggled more, unable to get any leverage at all. Finally he gave up, voicing a strangled cry for assistance. "Help."

A hand gripped _Crocea Mors'_ hilt and yanked the sword free with a _screech_ of metal on stone. Jaune unfolded, legs slapping hard against the unyielding floor. "Ow."

Signum looked down at him, transferring _Crocea Mors_ to hang from her left hand as she pulled him to his feet. "Acceptable. I am surprised you are still conscious."

Jaune rubbed his face, swaying on his feet. "What _happened?"_

"Apparently, Nikos decided she was done _playing around."_ Signum handed him back his sword.

"I don't- What did I _do?"_

"You lost."

"No, I mean _why?_ She's never just _trashed_ me like that before!"

Signum shook her head. "You upset her, Jaune Arc."

Jaune stared at Signum, mouth falling open a little. "B-but _what did I do?"_

"I would be doing you a disservice if I told you. You need to determine you mistake by yourself, or you will never learn to function on your own." Signum gestured toward the perimeter. "Reflect on what you did while you run your cooldown lap."

"Oh, come on-"

"Two laps, Arc."

* * *

The tinkling sound of shattering glass was music to Torchwick's ears. He sat up in his chair, holding up a hand. "Neo, what did you find?"

The diminutive girl plopped down on the edge of the table, crossing her legs and tossing a manila folder down in front of him. Torchwick eagerly flipped it open.

"...Neo, it's empty."

She pursed her lips, nodding a little, then shrugged.

"Wait, there's _nothing?"_

Another nod, and she made a bored face.

"Not a damned thing. Not one delivery notice, not one storage facility rental, nothing." Torchwick frowned, tossing his hat aside to scratch behind his ear. Neo scooped it up without hesitating, rolling it up one arm until it plonked down on her head.

 _Well that doesn't make any fucking sense at all._ "Why the _hell_ would there be no paper trail for something as methodical as scrapping an old airship?"

Neo shrugged again, holding up her left hand and making a tiny image of a Valean transport ship. She waved her right, and the image shattered into nothing.

He tilted his head. "...unless there's no airship, or it's _not_ an airship." A short laugh escaped his lips. "Ha! The simplest kind of illusion there is. No Dust, no Semblance, just a couple lies."

Neo smiled, waggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah. I think we're gonna have to figure out just what it is they're hiding in there." Roman rolled a fresh cigar between his fingers, pulling out his lighter. "I bet it'll be interesting."

* * *

A gentle hand on her shoulder nudged her out of her doze, and Weiss let her eyes flutter open. Silver eyes were peering down at her, and they brightened with their owner's smile. "Morning!"

She sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "...morning, Ruby. No whistle today?"

"Not for you, not after yesterday. If I'd only known."

Ruby zipped over to the other bunk, reaching for Blake's shoulder to find the faunus already staring at her. Ruby put a finger over her lips, shushing Blake. She looked back over her shoulder at Weiss and grinned. The whistle was in her other hand. She stood on Blake's bed frame, close to Yang's head.

Weiss put her hands over her ears.

Blake shoved her head under her pillow.

The shrill metallic scream split the air. Yang screamed with it, issuing a string of expletives that, at the beginning of the year, would have made Weiss blush. _It's disheartening to think I've gotten used to it._

The blonde brawler tumbled out of bed and fell straight to the floor, dragging her blankets with her. Weiss covered a giggle, while Blake and Ruby just lost it. Between howls of laughter, Ruby teased her sister. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

A hand shot out of the mess of blankets, grabbing Ruby by the ankle and dragging her to the floor. Ruby shrieked as she toppled over, struggling to escape and laughing even harder as they wrestled across the floor. Weiss shared a look with Blake, shaking her head in exasperation. "You want the bathroom first?"

"No, you take it. Your new class starts earlier than ours." Weiss grimaced a little, then nodded. Grabbing her uniform, she slipped into the bathroom to get ready.

Normally, Team RWBY would go to Professor Port's _Grimm Theory_ class as a group, but the evening before, she had gotten a message on her scroll from Professor Goodwitch informing her of a change to her class schedule. Now every Friday morning, she and Ruby were required to attend a seminar course on the other side of campus. ' _Your teammates have been informed as well, and they will be tasked with supplying you with notes and information for the classes you are missing. Any quizzes or exams that you miss because of your schedule change will be made up for at the earliest possible opportunity, with no negative effect on your grade.'_

Putting on the last of her uniform, Weiss opened the door. "Ruby. Stop horsing around and get dressed. We've got to be at Lecture Hall Three in half an hour."

"Right! Leggo, sis!" Yang released her, and Ruby vanished into the bathroom. She ducked back out less than a minute later, stopping at the door and quivering in place for a moment. Weiss could almost hear the _boi-oi-oing_. "Ready to go?"

"Ready. We should still have time to stop at the cafeteria, as long as we don't loiter." Weiss followed her out the door. They squeezed past a custodian pushing a cart, who gave them a gruff 'hello' when Ruby cheerfully greeted him. Weiss managed a much more restrained 'Good morning' to the man.

Something caught her eye, though, and she looked back over her shoulder. A striped cat tail was poking out the back of his pants. She frowned.

"Weeeiiiiss." Ruby poked her in the side and pulled her along.

She felt her cheeks burn a little. "I just- ...I'm sorry."

"If it makes you feel any better, Sun totally is a rapscallion." Ruby grinned at her. "Being human or faunus wouldn't change that about him."

 _That's a… fair point._ Weiss had to smile. "You're right."

They stopped at the cafeteria long enough to grab coffee and breakfast pastries, exchanging a few pleasantries with the few students who were already up and about. _Seriously, who schedules a class for seven in the morning?_ The walk across campus to the lecture building was quiet and uneventful, but there was a pleasant surprise outside the classroom doors. "Chrono. Lindy. Good morning."

Chrono's face was even more forcibly neutral than usual, but Lindy's lit up with a kind smile. "Weiss, Ruby. Good morning to both of you."

"What brings you here?"

Chrono cleared his throat. "We asked for and have been given permission to audit this class by the headmaster."

Ruby's eyes widened a little. "Oh? Is it for, erm. For _reasons?"_

The enforcer stared at her for a short moment, then gave a small nod of approval for her attempt at discretion. "Correct."

Weiss grumbled a little. "I still don't even know what class this _is,_ just that Ruby and I are required to attend."

Lindy and Chrono exchanged a glance, and she made a show of checking her watch. "Oh just look at the time. In we go!"

Ruby and Weiss followed the two in, and as a group they took a row of seats near the back of the lecture hall. Weiss took a moment to scan over the students already seated. She barely recognized any faces, and most of the ones she did remember were students she'd only seen in passing; usually as they were going to or coming back from a bullhead, decked out in full combat kit. _These are all fourth-years. What is this course?_

The quiet but constant murmur of conversation slowed to a stop, and Weiss realized more and more of the senior students were all turning to look at the two of them. More and more she felt like a child wearing her mother's clothing, pretending she was older than she was. Ruby looked like she was feeling even worse, shrinking down in her seat with her face going beet red. Next to the two of them, Chrono and Lindy looked like they belonged there.

The murmurs started up again, confused and inquisitive. _Who are they? What are a pair of first-years doing here? Did they walk into the wrong room?_

Weiss ducked her head, clenching her hands into fists.

She heard the door at the end of the hall open, and then heard footsteps. Two steps and a hard _clack._ Two steps and a hard _clack._

"Students."

Weiss snapped her head back up. Headmaster Ozpin stood at the front of the room. "To many of you, you are here because this is your final academic requirement for graduation. You have spent four years at this academy, four years honing your skills, four years preparing to leave these walls and take up the mantle of 'Huntsman' or 'Huntress' in defense of the people of Remnant.

"Those of you that are preparing to graduate may notice that there are several among you that have not yet completed their time here at Beacon. This small minority of your number is here because they have been exposed to, and therefore have unfortunately already gained practical experience with, the topics that this seminar is supposed to prepare you for. Ironically, in this way, _they_ will be _your_ seniors."

The murmurs and reactions got louder, and what students hadn't already looked at them turned to stare. Weiss felt the color _drain_ from her cheeks, and had to grip the edges of her seat.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Students. Regardless of the minutiae, everyone attending this class is within their rights and reasons to be here. It is my hope that minor details such as _age_ or _graduation year_ will not lessen your respect for your fellows, in _either_ direction."

The headmaster turned toward the blackboard, lifting a piece of chalk and writing in clear, precise words, easy to read even from the back of the classroom. "With that said, I welcome you all to _Hunter Ethics: Action and Consequences."_


	15. Chapter 15

Author Note: For Harold, since I couldn't send you a private reply. The title 'Hazredous' Interruptions is a play on one of the ways to spell the name of the ancient civilization where all the problems from the Nanohaverse seem to come from. Al Hazred, Al Hazard, El Hazard, whatever you want to call it.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 15 - Details

The plates jumped inches into the air when Yang's palm slammed down, landing in a clatter and spilling breakfast all over the cafeteria table. "What the hell, Ruby?!"

"W-what? What did I do! I didn't even do anything!"

"I just heard through the grapevine that you and Weiss are taking _Manslaying 101!_ Is Ozpin _smoking_ something?"

"Y-Yang, I-"

"Yang, sit down before I freeze your bottom to your seat." Weiss glared at the blonde, glaring at her. "It is _not_ called 'Manslaying 101. The seminar is called _Hunter Ethics: Action and Consequences._ It does not, in any way, detail the best ways to _slay a-"_

"Yes it does." Ruby swirled her glass of milk, watching the white liquid slosh. "It… we haven't gotten to it yet, but Headmaster Ozpin specifically said that there will likely come a time and a place when we will have to take the lives of _people._ And he wants us to be sure that when we have to, we know the… the _best_ way to do it. As cleanly as possible, without hesitation, and… to know when we don't have any other options."

Weiss grimaced, but didn't argue Ruby's interruption. "It covers the ethical dilemmas that huntsmen and huntresses will eventually be forced to deal with working in what is one of the most _violent_ occupational fields Remnant has to offer."

Ruby nodded, thankful for Weiss' support. "Y-yeah, Yang. It's not _about_ hurting people. It's about… _coping_ with having to hurt people. Like we had to do during the riot. Headmaster Ozpin added it to our schedules because we're a little, uhm…"

"You're ahead of the curve," Blake offered, as she tugged Yang back down to her seat. The brawler let herself be pulled down, and the flash of red in her eyes faded back to her normal lilac. "It's part of the standard curriculum, Yang. Normally students just don't take it until their final year. We'll be taking it then, unless the faculty see a reason to put us through it early, too."

"I know, I know…" Yang sighed, then started picking up bits of food from the table and dumping them on her plate. "I just… you're my baby sister, Ruby-"

"Yaaa~aaang!"

"-and I guess I… I guess I'm just worried you're growing up a little too fast all of a sudden. You're only fifteen, you should still be worrying about things like… you know. Doing your homework, and Grimm slaying, and cute boys."

"Ew!" Even as she said it, though, Ruby couldn't keep the play-disgust in her voice, and started giggling. Her team joined in, and for a few seconds the only sounds from the four were chortles and laughter. Ruby shook her head after a moment. "I am growing up, though. I have to, Yang. We all kinda have to. We're here at Beacon now, not back home at Signal."

Yang sobered, looking a little glum. Ruby sighed and continued. "Buuuut if it makes you feel any better I'll always be your little sister. I don't think I could change that even if I wanted to."

"Aw, Ruby." Yang brightened, reaching over the table to muss Ruby's hair. She squawked in dismay, batting at Yang's hand. "Still, that's some pretty _grimm_ humor for a class nickname, isn't it? Eh? Eh?" Groans all around answered her, and Yang pumped her fist in victory. "Nailed it."

Blake rolled her eyes. "So how was the first session? It's a three hour seminar, once a week?"

"It is." Weiss nodded, sipping her tea. "Ozpin gave us the general outline for the course. No actual daily syllabus, because the class mainly consists of veteran Huntsmen returning to speak about their experiences after graduation. The kinds of situations they have to deal with, and the dilemmas of choice."

"Yeah, like, uhm… well, one of the things he said that we'll be hearing a lot of is… is that you can't save _everyone_. Sometimes you have to make a choice, and make the best of a bad situation."

"Like in the riot. That's… okay, I can see that." Yang nodded a little and looked at Weiss. "We had to either protect you so you could put out the fires, which meant having to hurt people, or get you clear and let the fires burn."

"Exactly."

"Who was speaking today?"

"Headmaster Ozpin himself. He said next week will be a guest speaker from outside of Beacon. I must admit that I'm looking forward to hearing the different perspectives."

"Oh, oh!" Ruby sat up. "Chrono and Lindy were there taking the course with us. 'Cause of _reasons."_

"Speaking of, where is everyone? It's Saturday; usually at least some of the refugee teams grab breakfast with us. JNPR too."

"Jaune told me last night, JNPR and the refugee teams are going out to the Emerald Forest today for live Grimm training. Professor Goodwitch is going with them!"

Yang made a disappointed noise. "Well crap! Why them and not us?"

"Becaaauuuuse," Ruby pulled a binder out of her backpack and dropped it on the table, "I volunteered Team RWBY to plan the semester dance since Team CFVY was originally supposed to do it but they're getting deployed on a mission soon! Weiss has a ton of ideas to make it the best dance Beacon has ever _seen!"_

"Oh really? Are we gonna spike the punch?"

" _No."_

"Damn!"

* * *

The whine of the bullhead's lift compressors winding down settled a low background hum through the shrubs and trees of the Emerald Forest. Glynda Goodwitch took a deep breath of the air, giving herself one moment to enjoy the facade of peaceful serenity surrounding her. "Students, thank you all for joining me today. I realize that it is Saturday and there are things some of you would much rather be doing."

Nora laughed loudly, bouncing up and down on her feet. "More than smashing Grimm? Puh-leeze! Just point me at 'em!"

"While the opportunity may present itself, Ms. Valkyrie, you are not here simply to 'smash Grimm', as you so describe."

"Aw."

"Teams CSAL, NAVY, and ZFSH need first-hand experience in fighting Grimm with their new equipment. Team JNPR is here assist me in providing _oversight,_ and to lend a hand if any of the refugee teams find themselves in over their heads."

Jaune nodded, glancing at his team. "Yes ma'am. Just point us where you need us."

"Good. We will be splitting up. Admiral, do you agree with the statement that Team CSAL has the least number of active combat personnel?"

"I do. Amy and I are command staff. The last time Amy saw active weapon training before coming to Remnant was boot camp, and my own experience is… around two decades out of date."

"Then because of this, Jaune Arc and I will be accompanying your team while you train. Mr. Arc, our job is to bail them out if too many Grimm come calling." She kept her face perfectly composed despite the misgivings she had for his very presence. _Fake transcripts to get into Beacon… but he's managed this far, and Ozpin believes he'll be a capable huntsman as long as he's given the chance._

Jaune hefted his shield- _already deployed. That's good at least-_ and joined Team CSAL. Lindy turned to Nora and Ren. "Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren. You will accompany Team NAVY."

"Professor." Ren grabbed his still-sulking teammate and guided over to Nanoha's group.

"Pyrrha Nikos. You will be accompanying Team ZFSH. I realize that I am sending you with them without additional support, but it is safe to say that they have the most raw combat potential of the three teams. Between that and your own capabilities, I imagine you will be fine."

"There will be nothing to worry about, Professor!" Pyrrha flashed a winning smile, and jogged over to join them.

"Regarding your team. Signum, you assured me earlier that you would be fit for combat?"

"I will be momentarily." Shamal moved to Signum's side, and she took Signum's arm in her hands. A green glow surrounded the limb, and after several long moments the healer let go. Signum flexed her fingers, then tore the wrapping away without fanfare. Underneath, her skin was pale but unblemished.

Glynda raised her eyebrows. "I hope you will not object to continuing to wear your sling for the next week or two, to keep up appearances."

"Of course."

"Very good. Teams, use your scrolls to remain in contact. First checkup is in one hour."

* * *

"Okay, so! We're here to fight Grimm! Well. _You're_ here to fight Grimm, and we're here to watch you which is _boring_ but that's what Professor Goodwitch asked us to do so we're gonna do it! Aaaaand Professor Goodwitch showed us some of the footage of you all using your _space magic_ to blow them up which is neat and all, but now you've gotta play with the ugly puppies like real huntresses!" Nora spun _Magnhild_ in her hands, slamming it into the ground. "Which is _awesome."_

"So how do we _find_ the squishy runts?" Vita hefted _Graf Eisen,_ grinning. The red-haired _Wolkenritter_ was wearing a full suit of red-enameled heavy plate, and the armed device had been modified to bear a single heavy striking surface, with a cluster of release vents on the back. She seemed _eager_ to put it to use. A negligent motion of her hand tossed her lengthy single braid back over her shoulder.

"Simply put, they will find us. It shouldn't take very long." Ren flicked his wrists, popping _StormFlower_ out of his sleeves.

Almost as if his words summoned them, the howls of beowolves reverberated through the trees. Nanoha lifted _Raising Heart's_ rifle form, keeping her shield strapped to her back, and with her free hand gave her outfit a sharp tug-

Nora was in front of her, peering at her for a moment. "Hold on a minute! That… looks sort of like what Blake wears to bed. Did you just slap a breastplate over your jammies?"

Nanoha sputtered. "W-what? _Mou,_ it's a _combat yukata!"_

"Looks like jammies to me!"

Nanoha couldn't refute the statement further because the first black wolf-beasts were breaking through the treeline. She sighted, and _Raising Heart_ barked in her hands, the recoil pushing back against her shoulder as the Dust round spat out of the barrel. One of the beowolves stumbled and fell, black mist leaking from its chest. "Okay, team! Just like we practiced!"

Vita yelled in glee when she charged ahead, and her first swing crushed one of the beasts into a tree trunk. Arf moved up as well, whirling her fighting chain over her head and lashing out to snare black limbs, tearing loose swaths of fur and flesh and leaving the crippled beasts easy prey for Nanoha to finish off. Yuuno took position near her, and the only beowolf to slip past the forward assaulters found its bone mask rocketed out the back of its head by an aura-enhanced palm strike.

It made for a simple blooding, Nanoha thought. The four of them worked well together before coming to Remnant, and even with the new gear and style she found it easy to fall into the role of ranged support and sniper.

At Nora's insistence, though, she shifted _Raising Heart_ into _Naginata_ form and joined in the melee brawl, letting Arf take over at range. The familiar pulled a vial of Dust from her belt, and within moments crackling bolts of lightning were launching forth to electrocute the stragglers in the back.

 _I wonder how the other teams are doing._

* * *

Zafira ejected the clip from his rifle, pocketing it and sliding a new one into place with methodical precision. The bolt racked back with a satisfying _clack_ at his touch, and he brought the weapon up to lance Dust rounds into the beowolf charging his position. The beast fell, and he put another round through its head before straightening. _Don't lose focus._

He straightened, taking a moment to survey his team's progress. Signum was in front, working directly with their mistr- _No, just Hayate for now -_ working with Hayate and giving her opportunity to practice with her massive two-handed sword. Hayate's hunting clothing emphasized mobility over defense, and resembled the undermost layer of her normal Knight's Clothing; a hip-length tunic with armored faulds and a few smaller plates in appropriate places. She was putting the speed offered by her lack of encumbrance to use, striving to keep up with the directions Signum was calling out.

A little closer to him, Fate was putting the _hand cannon_ that was _Bardiche_ to good effect, single heavy rounds blasting from the low barrel with thundercrack-like reports. Each shot put holes in the Grimm larger than his clenched fist, and twice he'd seen her shoot _through_ the trunk of a tree to get a beowolf skulking behind it. She hadn't yet extended the weapon into scythe form, but Zafira figured she was already well practiced with that form of combat.

Beside him, Pyrrha stood ready and waiting, _Milo's_ rifle form was cradled in her arms and _Akouo_ slung over her back. Bright green eyes noticed his glance, and she couldn't help but grin a little. "It feels like there's nothing for me to do here. You all have this well in hand."

"We were already a well-oiled machine, Ms. Nikos. Even with new weapons, we have much experience in teamwork to fall back on." Zafira scanned the battlefield again, then pulled up his rifle and fired a half-dozen rounds at a flanking Grimm. Half missed their mark, but the creature snarled and retreated, mist leaking from its chest. "Curses. Finish that one, please."

"Gladly." _Milo_ barked, and the wounded beowolf fell. "May I ask a question?"

"You may."

"You are a… a _Guardian Beast,_ and you specialize in melee range combat. Why a rifle, and even more so a rifle with no alternative melee form?"

"Because I am not a leader by instinct, Ms. Nikos. I am accustomed to following commands, not issuing them. Were I to engage in my usual forms of combat, I would… fall into a routine, a comfort zone. I would focus too much on what was immediately around me. Forcing myself to use a ranged weapon puts me outside of that comfort zone, and makes me think about everything. It gives me the distance to see the entirety of the battlefield, which is paramount when I have people relying on me for guidance."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrows. "You put a lot of thought into this."

Zafira nodded. "Just because I have been placed in a role that I am not… bred for, does not mean I will give it anything less than my best."

A sound behind him made his ears twitch. Zafira dropped his rifle without hesitation, whirling and raising his arms. Metal-shod gauntlets caught the beowolf's claws palm-to-palm, and the beast roared, flecks of spittle splattering across his face. Zafira snarled in reply and pulled his arms out wide, driving his head forward and smashing his forehead into the surprised creature's mask when it stumbled toward him. The moment of stunned disorientation gave him the chance to grab its head in both hands, and he twisted.

Vertebrae shattered with a satisfying crunch, and he kicked the corpse away. Turning back to pick up his rifle, he noticed Pyrrha staring at him with raised eyebrows. Zafira cleared his throat. "Deception plays a role as well. If I _appear_ to specialize in ranged combat, I will be underestimated."

* * *

"Rifles, soften them up while they close in. Don't waste too much time on a single target, Shamal, you're point guard. I've got mid range."

"You got it!" Amy started firing controlled bursts, sending a trio of rounds into each target that presented itself. Beside her, Lindy was taking single aimed shots at the very back of the pack. The Dust propelled rounds were doing exactly as advertised, and a fair number of the black beasts fell to the leaf-strewn ground before they even made it to the blonde _Wolkenritter._

Those that did found her to be a completely different beast. Shamal had chosen an outfit of smoothly fitted green leather, treated to a dull shine with liquid-resistant coatings. _Klarer Wind_ now rested on every digit of her hands, as well as a pair of bracers that covered most of her forearms. Strung between the rings and bracers were almost invisible monofilament wires. The Knight of the Lake stood her ground, and as the first wave of beowolves closed in, she flung her hands out wide.

The first wave of Grimm fell to the ground in pieces. Only the faintest hints of dappled sunlight through the treetops overhead revealed the wires as they whipped around her and turned her into the center of a ten meter wide killzone.

The few Grimm that skirted around Shamal found themselves facing the barrel of Chrono's shotgun. He pulled the trigger, feeling the weapon slam back against his shoulder, and Dust-propelled pellets tore into bone faces and black torsos. "Amy, suppressive fire at two o'clock. Lindy, keep on the back."

It went like clockwork, like a training exercise straight out of the book. _Then again, these are only beowolves. I couldn't have asked for a better situation to get Amy and mom used to real combat again._ Truth be told, he was terrified. For all that she was military, Amy was a _novice_. Even on the _Arthra,_ she'd been Lindy's aide, not even tasked with one of the ship's guns. But there she was, firing her rifle with more than a little enthusiasm.

 _Damn. I never realized how much she wanted to be part of the action. Here we are, boots on the ground and risking our lives, and she's_ happy _to be here fighting next to me._ It was a strange insight into the mind of his wife of three years and friend of ten.

* * *

They'd argued about it a little. Well, _he'd_ argued about it. She'd just rolled her eyes and blown a raspberry at him when he made his point. But she'd agreed that going through the maintenance tunnels was just _asking_ to get caught. Because really, what kind of moron wouldn't think that the tunnels would be guarded?

Front door it was.

That is, front door after a few liberal applications of Lien to smooth things out and make the story solid.

Torchwick pulled the car to a stop in the parking area outside drydock office, opening the door and stepping out. On the other side, Neo climbed out as well, then reached into the back for the stack of flat boxes. _Melodic Cudgel_ and his hat stayed in the car, and Torchwick resisted the urge to tug his coat into place.

Neo's illusions were pretty comprehensive, but sometimes they made the real clothing underneath bunch up uncomfortably.

Torchwick walked straight up to the front door, Neo following behind. The doors into the lobby were glass, and he could see someone sitting at the receptionist desk, feet kicked up while they read a magazine. He opened the door. "Delivery!"

That caught some attention. The man at the desk started, shooting to his feet. "Who the hell- we didn't order anything!"

Perfect grammar, but the _accent..._ Torchwick had never heard it before in his life. Still, he swept on into the lobby, holding the door for Neo. "I got nine pizzas that say otherwise, sir. Three meat lovers, three veggie delights… not that I'd consider that delightful but who can account for taste? And three triple cheese supremes."

"Hold right there for a moment, please." The man grabbed a handset, holding it to his ear. "Ma'am. We've got a pile of pizzas in the lobby, delivery guy says they're for here. Did someone… no? Didn't think so."

While the man talked, Torchwick rocked from foot to foot, glancing about. One door in the back of the lobby, and there were a few cabinets in front of the partition windows that would look out over the hangar floor. More interestingly, what he could see of the windows themselves were blacked out. _Well isn't that lovely. There's definitely something back there._

The man hung up. "We didn't order any pizzas. Are you sure you're at the right place, Mister?"

"Yeah, I got the order printout right here, see?" Torchwick swiped the sheet off the top box, ignoring Neo's martyred look at having to stand here holding the boxes. "See? Address, dock number, everything."

The guard, because that's what he _had_ to be, stepped closer to take the sheet from him. There was a faint sound of footsteps behind the interior door. _Backup's arrived. Sounds like three of them._

A frown creased the guard's features, and he pulled out his scroll to dial the delivery number. "Just a moment longer."

Torchwick nodded, taking a step back to give the guy room. _Straight out of the script. I love it when a plan goes well._

"Hello, is this _Taste of Vacuo_ delivery? Yeah, we've got one of your delivery guys here with a big order, but he's at the wrong place. Order form gives our address, but we never ordered anything… order number? Yeah, it's… two six four." A moment passed. "Really? Doesn't that figure. Okay, thank you. No, I wouldn't like to order anything. Thank you. Thank you _._ Goo- _Thank you_. Goodbye."

"What, did they send me to the wrong joint?" Torchwick put just a little bit of testiness in his tone, enough to sound like he was properly aggravated at _idiot management._

"Yeah, the sheet printed out wrong. They said you're supposed to be going to Drydock _Sixteen,_ not Six _._ About a mile that way, keep following the road."

"Fuck! I told them to get that stupid printer fixed, and I'm gonna have to hear them bitch when I get there because I'm late." Torchwick exchanged a suffering sigh with Neo. "This happened a couple months ago, and you know what they told me? 'The only thing worse than late pizza is _cold_ pizza, and you just brought us both.' Didn't even tip."

"...sorry to hear that? You should probably get going, then."

"Yeah, yeah… shit. Tell you what. They're just gonna make me head back to the shop and have them make new ones anyways, so here you go."

Neo scooted forward, dropping the stack of boxes on the desk. The guard blinked, surprised. "Uh. Thank you, I guess."

"No sweat off my back. At least they won't be wasted." Torchwick opened the door, and Neo slipped out. "Have a good day, sir. Sorry about the mix up."

He kept up a running monologue as they walked back to the car, bitching about _stupid managers_ and _that broken damned printer_ until they were driving away. It wasn't until they turned the first corner out of sight that Torchwick stopped, and let himself start laughing.

If, by chance, the people at the hangar followed up on that 'mistake', they'd find that Sixteen's staff _did_ order a stack of pizzas. Torchwick had a friend there and had slipped him enough Lien to make it happen. The pile of boxes Neo had been carrying had been ordered from another store, which they'd picked up in person and under a different illusion. It had been child's play to doctor up a delivery sheet to match the one going to the other dock.

"Well that went _flawlessly."_

Neo rolled her eyes but smiled. The illusion of a blonde and black-haired delivery pair shattered away from the both of them, and she let out a small breath.

"So, what did we learn? First, security's tight. We got in the door, but their response time was seconds for an 'honest accident' where no one was put in any danger. Three additional security in short notice."

Neo wavered a hand, drawing down one corner of her mouth.

"Yeah, and we have no clue how competent they are in a fight. No matter, we're not going to try to bash our way in." Roman held out his hand, and a moment later a lit cigar was placed in it. He took a puff, considering. "Think you can sneak in there?"

Neo snorted.

"Worst case scenario, and it's got huntsmen inside?"

Neo tilted her head, thinking for a moment. She gave a slow nod.

"Yeah. Careful is fine. We're just scouting it out. Tonight?"

* * *

Zafira lowered his rifle, shaking his head. Fate took the moment to reload, dumping a quintet of empty shells as wide as her thumb to the forest floor. Hayate had _Schwertkreuz_ skewered tip first into the ground and was leaning on the pommel, watching the action with a silly grin on her face.

The guardian beast sighed. "...they're having a kill count competition."

"Yup."

"They aren't leaving anything for us to practice on."

"Yup!"

"You don't care at all, do you."

"Nope! If there's one thing I've learned from Professor Port's class this week, it's that there will always be more Grimm." Hayate grinned at him, then turned her attention back to the show just as a particularly large ursa collapsed to the ground. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted teasingly. " _That still only counts as one!"_

* * *

The deathstalker, while unexpected, had not caught Team NAVY unawares. They scattered like a shoal of fish when it barreled through the trees, surrounding the massive Grimm scorpion and counterattacking from all sides. Vita stood in front to catch its attention, shouting obscenities and meeting the swiping claws with Dust-enhanced blows from _Graf Eisen._ Arf circled around behind, looping her chain around the deathstalker's tail and digging her heels in for all she was worth.

With the deathstalker's most dangerous weapons engaged, Nanoha and Yuuno ducked underneath its carapace. _Raising Heart's_ cutting edge wasn't well suited for penetrating the Grimm's bony armor, but Yuuno's Aura-enhanced blows cracked through the plates for her, exposing black flesh to her slashing strikes. It only took a few moments longer for the monster to sink to the ground, and the two rolled clear.

Team NAVY regrouped, giving the corpse a fair distance. Arf looped her chain around her armored forearm, grinning toothily. "So that was a thing. Last time I saw one of those, Vita was _gigant_ crushing it against the side of the _Arthra._ This took a little longer."

"Yeah, well. Gotta play nice with the locals now." Vita replaced the heavy magazine of Dust charges in the back of her hammer, giving it a test swing. "I gotta admit that they make pretty good with what they got to work with, though."

As if to punctuate her statement, an explosion of Dust behind them blew leaves and small twigs across the forest floor. They turned around to see Nora shaking her finger at them, _Magnhild_ buried half a foot deep right between the Grimm's eyes. "You weren't paying attention, kids!"

Nanoha blinked. "...was that really necessary, Nora?"

Nora pulled _Magnhild_ loose, then paused and looked at the broken shell of the scorpion. The hammer came down again.

Then again. When she pulled it loose the last time, soupy black steam started leaking from the creature's joints and wounds. "Yes it was necessary! Grimm hunting 101, kids! If the body's still there, it ain't dead yet!"

* * *

"Mr. Harlaown, are you… taking inventory?"

"Yes, ma'am. Dust rounds expended during the action, usage of Dust powders, logging time use on equipment to track wear and tear. Granted, _S2U_ and the other devices will be able to maintain themselves, but Dust still costs money."

"Hm." Glynda raised her eyebrows. "Normally we leave that to the accountants at Beacon. Commendable of you, though, for first year students." She paused. "But this is not the first year student in you at all, I am sure."

"No, ma'am. The items on the sheet have changed compared to what I'm used to, but the reason is the same." He went through the list one more time, then scrawled his signature with his fingertip and saved the document. "Tactics and strategy are necessary to win battles and to know which battles to fight, but logistics is what wins or loses wars."

"Well said, Mr. Harlaown."

"Any word from the other teams, ma'am?"

"They'll be along shortly. NAVY apparently ran into a deathstalker but had little issue in dealing with it, and ZFSH is delayed because of… competitive nature."

 _Competitive nature?_ That made Chrono raise his head, and he looked at her quizzically. "Do I even want to know?"

Glynda sighed, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Ms. Nikos and Signum refuse to leave the forest until one of them has three more kills than the other."

"Oh, for-" Chrono cut off, dialing his scroll and holding it to his ear. "Zafira? Tell Signum to _pack it in_."

" _I already asked her once, and-"_

Chrono cut him off. "Zafira. Who's team leader over there?"

" _...your point is taken."_

"Good. We've been out here all day. We want to go home, or at least to the closest approximation thereof."

" _We will be along shortly."_

"All right. See you soon." Chrono cut the connection, shaking his head.

"Command trouble?"

"It's like herding cats sometimes, ma'a-" Chrono cut off, blinking. He looked up at the professor again. "...that's probably an idiom I should be careful about using around the wrong people, isn't it?"

Glynda looked at least a little amused. "While it's not a phrase I've ever heard before… yes. I wouldn't use it in public."

"Noted. Ah, good. There's NAVY now."

It only took another fifteen minutes for ZFSH to rejoin them, and they piled onto the bullhead eagerly.

* * *

Ruby burst into the dorm room, scattering petals everywhere. "Mail's here!" She tossed a letter to Weiss with a flick of her wrist.

Blake's eyes widened in surprise when the next letter spun through the air toward her. She caught it reflexively, looking over the envelope. No return address, but specifically addressed to her name. "...what is this?"

No one heard her quiet words. Glancing up, she saw Weiss already engrossed in reading her own letter, and Ruby and Yang were standing next to each other, reading their mail together. Blake looked down to hers, frowning. _Who would mail me… anything?_ She tore the envelope open with some trepidation, and slid the folded sheet of paper inside free.

 _Blake Belladonna,_

 _It is our hope that this letter finds you well. It is also our hope that your enrollment in Beacon to become a huntress is legitimate, and that you have removed yourself from the increasingly violent path of the White Fang._

 _It is in this hope that we contact you and ask you to bring this letter to Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, as we wish to open communications with the huntsmen academies. Our interest and goal is the_ _full and equal_ _rights of faunuskind in the four kingdoms to humankind; no more and no less. Included with this letter is a single contact number, for the use of Headmaster Ozpin only to reach us in the interests of mutual understanding and cooperation._

By the end of the letter, Blake's hands were shaking. Only one coherent thought remained in her head, rebounding back and forth off the inside of her skull; _They found me. They found me, they know who I am. They know where I am._

She didn't realize the room had gone silent until Weiss' hand touched her arm. "Blake? Are you okay?"

She didn't respond, other than to gulp down a breath of air. Weiss glanced down at the letter, and plucked it gently from Blake's hands.

She didn't immediately bring it up to read, though, instead waiting to see if Blake would stop her. _They're… they're my team. My team needs to know._ Blake swallowed, then nodded.

Weiss read the letter, eyes flicking back and forth over the lines of text. Her face didn't change at all from being perfectly composed, and when she finished she tilted her head and thought for a long moment. Ruby and Yang were both watching and waiting.

Finally, the heiress spoke. "I have to say I'm impressed. Whoever wrote this knew exactly what they were doing."

The _calmness_ to her tone finally tore Blake's attention away from the words bouncing through her thoughts. "W-what do you mean? They _know where I am!"_

"They didn't threaten you, did they?" Weiss passed the letter to Ruby, then put her hands on her hips. "They didn't threaten you, they didn't try to blackmail you. All they did was ask you to take this to Ozpin."

"B-but then he'll know I used to be-"

"Blake, do you really, honestly think he _doesn't_ know?"

That stopped her thoughts cold. After a moment, she felt her cheeks heat. "...you're… you're right. He knows. After the last time we fought Torchwick, he said it to me as clearly as possible without flat out saying the words 'White Fang'."

"Right. So my question is, are these people trying to hurt you? I don't think they are." Weiss nodded to the letter. "They're accomplishing multiple things, really. Bringing this letter to Ozpin doesn't hurt you at all. If, _if_ you were a White Fang operative, which we all know you aren't, then doing that would bring more attention and scrutiny on you, which would weaken your position.. Since you're not a White Fang operative, bringing the letter to Ozpin only strengthens your position, and gives whoever these people are a chance to talk to the headmaster directly. It's a win-win situation for them. Masterfully done in so few words, really."

Weiss' matter-of-fact tone did a lot to help her calm down. Blake held out her hand, and Ruby gave her back the letter so she could read it again. "...it really does seem that simple. I guess we can just… take this to the headmaster." She glanced at the clock. "Tomorrow, at least."


	16. Chapter 16

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 16 - Blown Cover

 _Coffee, coffee, coffee… oh come on, I work in a damned coffee house. I'd have brought my own if- Ah ha!_

Kasta grabbed the bag of dark roast from the back of the cupboard, sighing in relief. She'd drawn the short straw on the late shift, and had a long night to look forward to monitoring the transmitter's feed, and a steady drip of caffeine would go a long way to keeping her awake and alert.

Their Beacon contact had managed to get the tiny camera device in position earlier in the day, when the dorms were empty of students. Kasta sat down to look at the fish-eye view on her propped-up scroll. All said and done, the room was rather _sparse_. Four beds with neatly folded covers were lined up along the back wall, and the room's single desk had multiple copies of different textbooks lining the small shelves. If not for the quartet of Beacon-issue backpacks sitting near the closed dressers, she'd have thought the room was completely unoccupied.

 _Who knows when they're even going to be getting back in. What do Beacon students even do on the weekend?_ The lifestyles of huntsman and huntress trainees had been a common topic of conversation when she was younger; what were fantastical stories of heroes fighting monsters slowly evolved to gossip about their supposed leisure activities, to hushed whispers about what they _could_ be doing behind Beacon's closed doors, growing in both complexity and salaciousness as Kasta and her peers got older . They were a completely different _kind_ of elite from society's upper crust, but they were elite nonetheless.

Kasta gave her head a shake, reaching up to scratch irritably behind her horns. _Stop it. It's just a college._ She breathed out her sigh over her mug of coffee, taking a sip and settling in to wait. An hour later and she was already feeling herself start to flag from exhaustion, despite the coffee. She felt her eyes drift shut, and started to slump forward in her sea-

 _Slam!_ The electronically reported sound of a door shutting shocked her awake, and she almost knocked over her mug. There were three people in the camera's wide-angle field of view; a tiny short-haired brunette, a somewhat taller brunette with longish hair in a ponytail, and the blonde from the coffee shop. They were chattering back and forth easily, obviously happy about the day's events.

The tiny brunette was doing a fair amount of the talking. " _I have to say I'm really liking Schwertkruez's sword form. It's as much fun as I was hoping it would be!"_

The blonde had stopped at one of the beds, and was reading from her scroll, but she sent the bubbly brunette a quick smile.

" _People are gonna wonder if you're trying to compensate for something, Hayate-chan."_ The other brunette grinned teasingly at her. " _Raising Heart did wonderfully as well. Amy says she'll do an analysis of the sof- Fate-chan! W-what are you-"_

The blonde - _Fate-chan, apparently. I'm getting names!_ \- had dropped her scroll on her bed and hugged the other brunette from behind, nuzzling her hair aside and kissing the back of her neck. " _I'm in the mood for something sweet, Nanoha."_ Her hands slid up Nanoha's front, underneath the breastplate that sat over the rest of her outfit.

The brunette stiffened a little in surprise, then visibly melted when the blonde _bit_ the back of her neck. The other one - _Hayate-chan -_ tilted her head, then gave them both a lopsided grin. " _Find a room, you two."_

The blonde responded by shrugging out of her black overcoat, tossing it haphazardly aside. Kasta jerked back reflexively when the coat landed over the tiny camera, obscuring the view. Sound was slightly muffled, but still clear enough to easily understand. " _This is my room, Hayate. You're welcome to stay, though."_

A lewd moan filtered through her scroll's speakers. Kasta felt her cheeks burn just from hearing it. _Oh my gosh, they're true. The stories are true._ The sounds of more fabric hitting the floor was interspersed by groans and giggles, and then the sound of bedsprings. More laughter, and a sharp, muffled cry.

Kasta honestly didn't know what to do. Xerxes had told her that _any_ information was useful, but she couldn't help but feel _dirty_ eavesdropping on such a… private moment. _Th-they won't do this all night, surely! I'll just… turn it down low so I can hear if they start talking about something important!_

She already had their names, at least. Kasta reached for her scroll to adjust the volume, then yanked it back as if bitten when one of the girls, she wasn't sure who, cried out _faster!_ Kasta glanced over her shoulder guiltily, then reminded herself she was the only person in the small safehouse, and would be until morning. _This is going to be such a long night._

* * *

"Here's Rosen back, Lieutenant Lockheed, with the chief's compliments. Hardware installation went without a hitch, and the firing range is set up. We're ready for test firing when you are."

"Thank you." Sentra Lockheed took the offered storage form of her device, holding the small tuning fork-like shape up to eye level for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

" _Operational."_

"Good. Rosen _,_ set up. Staff mode."

" _Core Interlink online."_ The device flashed in her hand, forming into the bulky staff that was its midrange configuration. " _Interference Display online."_

A visor phased into place over Sentra's eyes, and tiny lines of text started scrolling in the periphery of her vision; positional data, estimations of ambient mana concentrations, and more. "This may take a little getting used to. I can turn it off, right?" She turned her head, and watched the numbers shift.

"Yes, ma'am. The chief recommends you keep it active and get accustomed to it, though."

"Yeah, I get it. Firing range it is."

The firing range was set up in the main hangar, underneath the looming superstructure of the _Arthra_ herself. Sentra took position at one end as a series of targets were moved into place, and she raised _Rosen_ into a ready position. A few moments later, the all-clear was given. "Lieutenant Lockheed commencing test of compensation hardware iteration Two B."

The visor's HUD altered as she started charging her spell, and a small host of tiny percentages overlaid her vision, showing firing arcs and interference factors. She took the moment to sort through them, and picked the trajectory necessary to hit her target dead center, over a hundred feet distant. _Interference will cause a seven degree shift left of center at this range… aim right to compensa-_

Even as she adjusted her aim, a set of concentric targeting rings showed her exactly where to point. _Well that's convenient. I owe the chief a beer._ "Firing in five. Four. Three. Two. One." The purple bolt leaped forth, and as predicted, curved through the local interference and smashed into the target. Not quite dead center like she wanted, but more than close enough. "Hit. Moving to next firing position."

The live-fire experiments went on for a several hours, well into the night. The firing area was only so large, even if they swapped ends, and there was no way to test the sheer number of possible variables that Remnant's mana interference could cause, but it was enough to prove that the new software and hardware worked at least a little bit. Two weeks total time to produce a working prototype was actually _phenomenal,_ given the paltry conditions of their available R&D facilities.

Sentra hefted _Rosen's_ cannon mode, squinting at the impromptu bombardment target; the engineers had set up a salvaged hull plate from the _Arthra_ itself, which was more than resilient enough to handle a low power buster from her device. She nodded in satisfaction, then gave the engineering chief a thumbs up. "Channeling is still a bit thready and I can't stop the beam from diffusing, but at least I can tell where I'm going to shoot again. Nicely done, Chief."

The engineering team members started exchanging high fives, and the chief nodded. "Thanks for being our guinea pig, Lieutenant. We'll start installing the new hardware into the rest of Beta's devices tomorrow. Alpha will get their upgrades… hm. Either they can come here, or we'll send the parts to Beacon and let them do it. Anyways, we're done for the night."

"I'm turning in, then. Second squad has the patrol for the night." Sentra nodded to the engineer, then turned toward the hangar's office-barracks. _Rosen_ flashed in her hand, and she settled the device's storage form around her neck.

The washrooms were a simple affair. What had been basic bathrooms had been expanded on, walls knocked out where necessary to make room for a trio of shower spigots at one end of each room. They were segregated by gender, but otherwise the facilities were quite spartan. _Not that the washrooms in the_ Arthra _had been much better,_ Sentra thought.

She folded her duty uniform and placed it on a bench, then stepped under the spray. Quick, mechanical motions, to lather and rinse her hair. _I don't know how Testarossa can deal with having hair as long as hers. It's got to get in the w-_

Glass shattered with a tinkling crack behind her. Sentra hadn't even heard the door open. "Fuck's sake, did you break the mirror?" She turned around, wiping the last of the suds from her face, and opened her eyes.

She blinked, meeting the pink and brown gaze of a _tiny_ slip of a girl with long hair that sported the same mix of color. The girl looked just as surprised to see Sentra as she felt to see her.

Sentra slowly reached up toward _Rosen's_ storage form where it rested around her neck. The local language took a moment for her to bring to the fore. "...are you supposed to be here, little girl?"

The girl took one deliberate step back, features twisting into a grimace. A knee-high boot's heel clacked on the tiled floor. The girl slowly lowered her parasol, pointing it at Sentra.

That was all she needed to see. Sentra grabbed her device. " _Rosen!_ Set up!"

* * *

 _This is not a toilet stall. This is a barracks shower._

A voice behind her, babbling words in a language she'd never heard before. _Complete with shower-er._ Neo turned around and found herself meeting the confused, golden-eyed stare of a dripping, raven-haired woman, And who, from the looks of her biceps and abs, was no slouchy civilian.

Thankfully, the witness was also _naked,_ which meant that eliminating her would be as simple as slipping her blade between her ribs.

The woman didn't cower away, and one hand was sliding up toward the necklace she was wearing. "...are you supposed to be here, little girl?" Her accent was _atrocious._

Neo took a step back, planting her foot squarely behind her. _Fucking renovators didn't update the floor plans. This shouldn't have been a problem._ She tensed, bringing her parasol in line with the woman's chest. The black-haired woman shouted something as Neo lunged.

The hidden blade popped out of the tip of the parasol, but right before it pierced skin there was a blinding flash of bright purple light. Neo felt the blade skip off a wall like steel, jarring her arm. _Fuck! How the hell did I miss?_

Her vision was still blurry from the flash, but the glow of an activating semblance was still more than obvious. Neo threw herself down just before hell itself howled through where she'd been, louder and more energetic than anything she'd ever heard in her life. She blinked the last of the fuzziness from her eyes and looked up.

The woman wasn't naked anymore. She was wearing black over dark blue, a longcoat with hemisphere-like devices on the shoulders, over fatigue-like trousers and heavy combat boots. She was also _dry,_ head to toe, and the water still spraying down from the spigot overhead was bouncing off of her head and shoulders like she was coated in plastic. Most importantly, and most telling, she was _completely unscathed._ There wasn't even a scratch on the black fabric of her overcoat where it had stopped Neo's blade.

All that was secondary, though, because of what she was holding. A three foot long split-barreled _cannon_ was hefted in her hands, one clamped down on a grip over the weapon's body and the other holding the back. Purple lightning streamers crackled between the left and right halves of the barrel. Neo could smell ozone, sharp and tangy.

Neo threw a glance behind her, and saw that the row of toilets at the other end of the room was _gone._ In its place was a curved trench a foot deep, leading to and going through a hole in the back wall bigger than she was. Her eyes widened, and she tore her gaze back toward the woman.

The weapon was swinging around to point at her again. Neo swung her foot desperately, catching the woman behind the knee and knocking her off balance. The black haired gunner swore, stumbling to catch herself, and Neo took the chance to _run,_ straight out the hole carved through the back wall. _The blueprints said this should be the main hangar out here!_ More room to run, more room to hide, more primary objectives to see. Neo expanded her parasol, swinging it up over her head and keeping it close.

More shouting behind her. Alarms were already blaring, and she could see why; the trench carved by whatever hell the woman had unleashed went halfway across the hangar floor.

She heard Roman through the tiny earbud she was wearing. " _Neo, the guy in the lobby just went on full alert. I think they know you're inside."_

 _No shit, Roman._ A tingle at the back of her neck made Neo dive and roll to the side, and a trio of green spheres, each the size of her clenched fist, detonated against the floor and cracked the concrete. _Fuck!_

She rolled back to her feet, dodging another barrage of exploding spheres, and then stumbled again when a _wave_ swept through her. She felt a _tugging_ sensation in her chest, a stretching. The whole world changed color, every surface and object and even the air tingeing green. The sirens cut off at the same time. _This is bad!_

Whatever the weird shifting was, it was obviously a signal of some form. Different colored rays of light of burned down from the sky around her, scoring into the poured concrete floor and detonating, throwing her through the air. Neo tucked and rolled with the landing, and lurched to her feet just in time for her world to wash away in _purple._ The energy tore into her Aura with abandon, grinding her down into the floor. Neo reached out desperately and _shattered_.

The world fell away in pieces, replaced by the back of a wooden crate. Neo gasped for air, trying to get her breath back. The shouts and exclamations of soldiers echoed strangely through the air, indecipherable in their alienness. Neo slipped a small mirror from her pocket, and slid it around the edge of the crate.

 _W-what the shit? What the shit is this? They're flying. How are they FLYING?_ It was her first real chance to actually take a look at her opposition, and she could see six people _hovering in the air,_ including the raven-haired gunner from the showers. They were just starting to spread out from the crater in the ground Neo had escaped from, searching.

Above and beyond them, the hulk of a giant ship was held in place by repair cranes and clamps. The once-silvery hull was pitted and scored by heat and battle, but the general shape of the vessel was still apparent. _That's not any airship I've ever seen._

She took as long as she dared to look at the ship and the six _flying_ guards, memorizing everything about their uniforms that she could. She grabbed the pieces from her sight, threading them together with painstaking detail, and slipped the image around her own form.

She felt her Aura thrum, and without hesitating shattered the world again, just in time to watch from afar as the crate she'd been hiding behind _disappeared_ under a concentrated barrage of light, along with ten yards of surrounding floor. _What the FUCK! These people are insane!_

Three of the flyers turns and fired a barrage into another stack of crates, to similar results as before. _They're going to flatten the whole place looking for me… they didn't know where I was the last time!_ Neo glanced down at her mimicked clothing, and bit her lip. She broke from cover, moving with haste but not with panic, heading back toward the interior offices.

She actually made it without getting blasted, but she heard several more detonations behind her. Ducking through a door, she nearly ran into a _seventh_ longcoated soldier. The man was standing with a strange staff held vertically in his hands, and beneath him was a glowing green circle filled with complicated runes. The man's eyes widened when he saw her.

Neo dashed forward, slamming her shoulder into the man's gut with all the force her petite frame could put behind it. He stumbled back, and the green circle under him vanished. Neo felt the _tug_ in her chest relax suddenly, like a rubber band snapping. She hooked her parasol behind his knee, levering his leg up and toppling him over, throwing him to the ground.

The man's head whacked against the floor hard enough to crack the concrete, and he let out a disoriented groan. Neo jumped over his body and dashed through the hallway to the next door. She threw it open.

"Halt right there!" Neo gaped; confronting her was a flying doll with white hair, wearing a stylish white coat. The little doll's hands flashed and a glowing white triangle formed under her feet, and Neo felt ice harden around her limbs. She managed to yank her left foot and arm free in time, but her right foot was stuck to the ground and her right hand was bound to the frame of the door. Her parasol hung limply in her grip, useless.

The doll-girl floated just out of grabbing range, and she said something in that strange language, looking at a tiny holographic window that had appeared next to her. Neo saw the chance that the moment of distraction gave her and took it. She contorted, twisting enough that her bound arm _popped_ painfully, but her free foot came around and caught the floating doll right in the chest with the heel of her boot.

The doll let out an 'oof!' as the breath was blasted from her, thrown across the room by the impact and into a standing cabinet. The stack of boxes on top teetered and fell, burying her in cardboard and files. The ice around Neo's limbs vanished, and she took off at a run. _I just need to get to the exterior wall!_

A voice behind her shouted for her to stop. Neo risked a glance over her shoulder and saw the gunner again, except she was holding a heavy staff now. Three balls of violet light circled the weapon's head once, then screamed through the air toward her, one after the other.

The first one caught her in the small of her back, making her stumble. The second caught her right knee, throwing her off her stride. Neo put everything her flagging Aura had left into her left leg, and made one last, desperate leap toward the far wall. The last ball of light was almost to her, she knew, and she didn't have any more time.

Neo reached out with her semblance one last time, grabbing everything in her way and _shattering-_

* * *

 _How are they still moving?_

Kasta slumped in front of the desk, face cradled in her palms, as _another_ giggling moan issued through her scroll's speakers. The trio had been at it for hours. _Hours._ Small breaks were had as two of them murmured sweet nothings to each other, and sometimes the shorter brunette's voice would throw in off-color commentary; some of the statements were raunchy enough to make Kasta's ears burn all over again. Sometimes they almost started talking about things that may have been _relevant,_ and more than once she'd grabbed hastily for her pen at the mention of _Grimm,_ or classes, or a given teacher's name.

But no. It always _devolved_ into more giggles, more moans, more huskily whispered commands. _It's three in the fucking morning! How are they still awake?!_

A loud, whimpering squeal sounded through her scroll. It didn't even surprise her anymore, but she knew her face was beet red under her hands. Kasta grabbed for her mug, hastily gulping down the cold dregs of her fifth cup of coffee. _I just want to sleep but I know what I'll dream. Damn you, Xerxes. You OWE me for this._

Kasta looked down into her empty mug, cheeks flaring again at yet more sounds of enjoyment. She sighed, getting to her feet and moving toward the tiny kitchenette.

She grabbed the coffee pot and poured, then walked back to the desk.

The door exploded open, slamming against the wall with a gunshot-like crack. Kasta screamed in surprise, dropping her mug and and spinning around.

Before Kasta could even react, three figures surged into the room, weapons raised and pointed. The one in front bellowed at her. "Down on the floor!"

Behind her, the scroll issued forth again. " _Oh, Fate-chan! Not on the floor!"_

* * *

"Dammit! Shit!" Sentra slammed her fist into the wall, cursing again and again.

"Lieutenant Lockheed, please calm down!" Reinforce Zwei hovered by her shoulder, holding a tiny icepack to her head.

"She got away, Sergeant! We just suffered a kilometer wide security breach!"

"Lieutenant Lockheed, you did _everything_ by the book. Beta's reaction time was flawless, and Lieutenant Galant's phase barrier was up in record time, not even accounting for the interference effect." Reinforce Zwei pouted, wincing when she put a little too much pressure on the bump on her head. "No one expected a Remnant native to be capable of illusion _and_ teleportation."

"I should have had her, Sergeant. I should have just cast a bind instead of going for the knockout shot."

"A bind which in all likelihood would have _missed_. They're trickier spells than busters or bolts, and Aura-empowered individuals have _already_ proven capable of breaking free of them. You made the right call, Lieutenant." Reinforce sighed, bringing up a holo-window with her free hand. "But you can help me tell Admiral Harlaown the bad news if that'll make you feel better."

* * *

Ozpin sipped his first coffee of the day, looking down from on high over Beacon's campus. The sun was a bright gold disk, pouring its light down on the classroom buildings and dormitory structures. Six thirty in the morning wasn't early at all for him.

It was, however, very early to have a student team requesting a meeting with him. Especially on a Sunday. Doubly so because it was Team RWBY; normally the quartet of eccentric first years would sleep until noon. That as much as any other reason was enough for Ozpin to reply to the texted request with an affirmation, and now he was waiting for their arrival.

There was a hesitant tapping on his door. _And there they are._ Ozpin settled himself behind his desk, leaning his cane within easy reach, then cleared his throat. "Enter."

The door opened, and Team RWBY filtered into the room, apprehension on their faces. "Come now, students. You asked for this meeting, after all. There is nothing wrong." Ozpin paused, deliberately sipping his coffee again. "Unless of course you are here to _tell_ me something is wrong."

"Er." Ruby Rose fidgeted in place. "Thank you for seeing us so early, Headmaster Ozpin."

"It is no problem. How may I help you four?"

The girls exchanged a few glances, and Blake Belladonna stepped forward, a folded sheet of paper between her hands.. "Headmaster… a few months ago, you told me that if I ever needed to talk to you, that I shouldn't hesitate to ask."

 _The night of the robbery._ "I meant what I said, Ms. Belladonna."

The faunus girl nodded, and she held out the paper. "I… I received a letter yesterday. I'm… giving it to you in good faith, Headmaster. I don't… have anything to hide. Not from my team, and not from you."

Ozpin leaned forward and took the letter from her hands. He flipped it open, letting his eyes flow across the printed text. He felt a small amount of surprise to find his suspicions about her confirmed, but he kept the feeling from showing on his face. "Well. This is rather intriguing. Thank you, Ms. Belladonna, both for bringing this to my attention and for being so forthright with me."

Blake didn't reply, expression tightly controlled. Yang put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze, and the girl started. "I… you're welcome, Headmaster."

Ozpin nodded, and set the letter down on his desk. "I assume that the content of this letter has been shared between the four of you, yes?" He received a few nods in confirmation. "Then we may speak freely. According to this letter, you have been singled out and contacted specifically because of your previous affiliation with the White Fang, by another, possibly new group of faunus rights activists. In doing so, they are testing the change of ideology that you are supposedly showing by attending a huntsman academy by asking you to put them in contact with me."

Blake opened her mouth, but Ozpin held up a hand. "I am not questioning your loyalties, Ms. Belladonna. Your actions since coming to Beacon speak for you, and I will openly say that I am fully convinced of your efforts to put your past behind you. The only issue at hand, in my opinion, is this group that contacted you."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Then I believe the simplest method by which to determine their intentions is to reach out to them in good faith, using the method that they have provided. Are we agreed?"

The faunus girl pursed her lips, then nodded. "I believe we are."

Ozpin nodded, reaching for his scroll. Before he could pick it up, though, there was a loud knocking on his door. He sighed, pressing the intercom button on his desk. "Yes?"

"Package for you, sir!" Hayate Yagami's cheerful voice piped through the speaker.

"I am in the middle of a meeting with Team RWBY, Ms. Yagami. Can it wait?"

"Nooooot really! The package is starting to wake up!"

 _What._ Ozpin tilted his head, then glanced at the students already in his office. He lifted his finger from the intercom. "...do you four mind if I see what this is about?"

The members of Team RWBY shook their heads, and filed off to stand to the side. Ozpin pressed the intercom again. "...enter, Ms. Yagami."

The door slid open again, and Ozpin raised his eyebrows. Hayate nearly _skipped_ in, satisfaction dripping from her smile. Nanoha Takamachi and Fate T. Harlaown bustled through behind her, holding each end of a large dufflebag. A large, _struggling_ dufflebag. The shorter brunette sketched a playful salute. "Someone to speak with you, Headmaster!"

The other two set down the bag, and Nanoha zipped it open. Fate reached in and hauled a disheveled and bound faunus girl to her feet. She was tall and lithe, with short brown hair and a pair of tapering horns rising up from just behind her hairline. There was a strip of duct tape across her mouth, and she was blindfolded.

She looked _terrified._ Ozpin stared, then forced himself to count to three before standing. He frowned. The members of Team RWBY looked confused, and Ruby raised a hand. Ozpin made a slashing motion, keeping her quiet. "May I ask what the _meaning_ of this is?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Fate kept a hand on the girl's shoulder, and _none_ of the amusement present in Hayate's demeanor was apparent in her red eyes. "When we got back to the dorms last night after our training mission in the Emerald Forest, I discovered that my team's room had been _bugged_ with an audio/visual device _._ We traced the signal and found this individual listening to the feed."

As soon as the word _bugged_ was mentioned, the faunus girl went completely still. Ozpin's frown deepened. "There are procedures in place for this kind of situation, Ms. Harlaown."

"With all due respect, Headmaster, your procedures do not take into account all factors of the current situation." Fate's expression was uncompromising, and both of her friends nodded seriously.

 _Damnation. She's right. But in protecting their own interests, they committed an unlawful capture of the suspect, without a warrant or any due process._ Ozpin raised one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, then pushed his glasses back up his nose. He sat down, gesturing toward the girl. "Well. Let's hear what she has to say, then. Sit her down, please."

Nanoha guided the faunus forward, not too roughly but not kindly, and sat her down in the chair before Ozpin's desk. She gestured to the blindfold, raising an eyebrow, and untied it when Ozpin nodded. The tape came next, eliciting a yelp from the girl. "Ow!"

When she finished blinking away the tears and focused, Ozpin already had his hands folded in front of him, watching her steadily. She saw him and stiffened, then glanced around to confirm where she was. "A-ah, ah, uhm! I… I don't…"

"Calmly, dear. Take a few breaths, please." Ozpin waited while she did so, gulping down a few lungfuls of air, and visibly tried to steady herself. "Now then. Would you please tell me why you found it necessary to invade the privacy of some of my students' personal lives?"

She shook her head. "I d-don't know what you're talking about, I-"

Hayate let out a _tsk,_ holding up a scroll and tabbing a button. Nanoha's voice squeaked out of the speaker. " _H-hayate-chan! Someone will hear- A-ah!"_ The faunus girl blushed deeply, letting out an embarrassed whimper. Off to the side, Ruby herself rapidly turned the same color as her cloak, and Yang let out a low whistle.

 _How did they manage that?_ Ozpin cleared his throat. "...would you care to try again, Ms….?"

The girl lowered her head, raising bound hands to scratch at the base of her narrow, ribbed horns. "I'm… Kasta. Kasta Kazella. It's- It's really not what it sounds like!"

"I should hope so, Ms. Kazella, because right now it sounds like you were listening to my students, hoping for cheap thrills. Please, I urge you to tell me why this is not the case." He sipped his coffee, then set the mug down. "And do tell the truth, I insist."

* * *

 _Bzzt._

 _Bzzt._

Richard glanced over and saw that it was his extra scroll ringing, and his eyebrows rose. _Huh. I didn't expect her to get to him that quickly. It's Sunday._ He snatched it up, accepting the call. "Is this Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy?"

" _This is indeed. You are Richard Xerxes, and you wished to speak with me."_

Richard's blood ran cold. _How the hell did he find that out so quickly?_ He'd planned on being forthright about his identity once they'd started talking, but to have himself outed so quickly… "How did you-"

" _I learned your identity from an acquaintance of yours; Ms. Kasta Kazella. I assure you she is unharmed, and we just had the most enlightening conversation. I find myself in an interesting position, you understand."_

For a moment, Richard was without words. _Fuck. How did she get compromised? I told her I'd keep her out of danger._ "I see, Headmaster Ozpin. What are your terms for her release?"

" _You misunderstand. I have no terms for her release, Mr. Xerxes. She will be free to go when you and I have finished this conversation, as a gesture of good faith. However, that is another point, and we will revisit it. The matter currently at hand is the letter that was delivered to me by my student, Blake Belladonna. You wished to speak with me. What are your intentions, Mr. Xerxes?"_

Richard allowed himself a tiny breath. Not quite of relief, but the tension gripping his gut eased ever so slightly. _He's willing to listen._ "Headmaster Ozpin, I speak for a new movement for the equal rights and treatment of faunuskind. For years now, the White Fang has been the only face that the public sees. We want to change that."

" _People have tried before, Mr. Xerxes. People have tried and failed, because the White Fang itself sabotages any attempt to undermine what they view as their authority. What will make your movement different? What will make your movement succeed?"_

 _This is it._ "The White Fang no longer wants equality; they want to drive humankind under their heel, to elevate themselves above their supposed oppressors. They are trying to start a war. We intend to fight them. We will fight them in the public eye, showing the world that the White Fang does _not_ represent faunus interests around Remnant. We will fight them in the shadows where they hide, exposing them for all to see. We want to show the world that we are _willing to police ourselves,_ in the interests of equality and mutual understanding."

" _Ambitious. Then please explain, why did you reach out to me specifically? Why did you not reach out to the Vale council?"_

"Because we need the support of the Huntsman Academies, Headmaster. The academies train the _protectors of the world,_ without allegiance to any kingdom. Huntsmen and huntresses travel the width and breadth of Remnant, caring not for borders or kingdom. They are a universal symbol of civilization, and the support of the Academies would give us legitimacy that a kingdom could not. That is why I reached out to you, Headmaster. For your support, and for you to mediate with the other academies for us."

" _I see. I must say, it is a noble cause, Mr. Xerxes. I will need time to think, you understand."_

"I do." Richard closed his eyes. _He didn't say no._

" _However, if we are to continue with any form of professional relationship, there will need to be some ground rules. First and foremost, any and all interactions between Beacon and… what is your organization called, may I ask? I assume you do have a name."_

"...yes, pending the participation of the Huntsman Academies. Beacon, Haven, Atlas, Shade. We intend to bear the title _Bastion."_

" _A fortified location, a place that protects. Directly in opposition to the connotations carried by the White Fang. I admit that I approve. But I digress. As I was saying, any and all interactions between Beacon and Bastion must be open and forthright. There will be no more spying on my students or faculty. If another device is placed, we will find it, and it will be the end of our cooperation. This is not open to debate."_

Richard winced. "There will be no spying on your students or faculty."

" _Good. Since we are on the topic, please explain to me exactly why Ms. Kazella was monitoring my student's dormitory room."_

He rubbed his face for a moment. "One of your students was involved in the aftermath of the White Fang riot that took place a week ago. A blonde girl, medium height with long hair. Wears black, and her weapon appears to be a large revolver."

" _I know the student whom you speak of. What about her?"_

"She's a well-trained investigator. We were keeping tabs on her because we didn't know if she would prove to be helpful, or a hindrance."

" _If she had proven to be a hindrance?"_

"We're not monsters, despite the White Fang's every effort to portray faunus as such. If she had proven to be a hindrance, we would withdraw and reconsider. That's all."

" _I see. Then I have your word that there will be no repeats of the situation which brought Ms. Kazella to my attention?"_

"You have my word."

" _Then I will take your word at face value. Give me some time, and I will have answers for your concerns. Is this the number I should continue to use to reach you?"_

"It is. This line is for your use only, Headmaster."

" _Excellent. You will hear from me within the week. Good day, Mr. Xerxes."_

"Good day, Headmaster."

The line went dead, and Richard slowly set the scroll down. The giant's fist crushing his gut unclenched, and he felt days of stress bleed away. _Can't celebrate yet. He can still say no, but… damn, it went better than it could have._

* * *

Ozpin set down his scroll, admittedly pleased with how the conversation had gone. His eyes settled on Kasta, and he nodded to her. "Ms. Kazella. I do apologize for the… _method_ by which you were brought here. One of the things we emphasize in our curriculum is individual initiative, and most of our students are already rather headstrong to begin with."

"I…" She looked down again, blushing. "It's… I understand, Headmaster. I'd be… upset too, if I found out someone was spying on me like that."

"Then there is no problem." He sipped his coffee, frowning down at the mug when he found the drink to be cold, and set it aside. "True to my word, you are free to go. Team RWBY will escort you to the landing field, where you can take an airship back to Vale proper. If you would like to avail yourself to our hospitality, the cafeteria should still be serving breakfast. Ms. Rose, if you will?"

"Yes, Headmaster!" Ruby and her team guided the faunus girl to the door, and it opened to let them through.

Before it could slide shut, though, Lindy and Chrono swept through, faces grim. Ozpin perked his eyebrows, waiting until the door closed. "Ah, Lindy. While it is a pleasure to see you, we have something of a problem that needs to be discussed. Your teammates here decided to take the law into their own hands last night, and-"

Lindy cut him off, shaking her head. "Later, Ozpin. We have bigger things to worry about. There was a break in at the _Arthra's_ hangar last night. The culprit got away."


	17. Chapter 17

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha - RWBY

Chapter 17 - Damage Control

"We've been compromised?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Lindy gave Chrono a curt nod. Behind them, Fate was already making sure the door was shut and locked.

Chrono raised a hand, and _S2U_ brought up a holo-window with Rein's incident report. "At Oh-one-thirty hours last night, Drydock Six's security envelope was penetrated by a single individual. Perimeter wards were not tripped, so we are assuming that the culprit used some form of teleportation ability to bypass entry points. This is supported by the fact that first sighting was made by Lieutenant Commander Lockheed in the women's showers, which only has a single entrance point."

He started bringing up additional pictures, hovering them in the air for Ozpin to see. "The suspect is approximately one point four meters tall… roughly four feet, seven inches, not including footwear. She displayed both illusionary control and short-range teleportation when engaged by Mage Team Beta." Several of the windows played video captures from the team's various devices as the miniscule target juked and dodged out of the way of a plethora of energy attacks. She was doing a remarkable job of keeping her face hidden the entire time, instinctively interposing a lacy parasol between herself and most lines of sight.

Ozpin leaned closer, cold coffee forgotten. "Do you have any recordings that can be used for identification?"

Chrono shrunk down the playing windows and shoved them to the side with a wave of his hand, and brought up two more. "Lieutenant Commander Lockheed and Lieutenant Galant both got a clear view of her face. Their devices recorded these captures." One frame showed a girl with pink and brown eyes and hair, a clear expression of surprise on her face, and in the background were the fixtures and stalls of a barracks shower/bathroom. The other frame displayed a brunette with green eyes, wearing what appeared to be a copy of Chrono's own barrier jacket. In that picture her expression was harried and tense.

Lindy picked up after him. "As you can see, the individual shows the ability to simulate a completely different physical appearance. Chrono made the observation that the first picture, taken by Lieutenant Commander Lockheed, is most likely her base appearance. Judging by her expression, she was not prepared to appear in a location that was already occupied."

Behind her, the three aces were listening with rapt, worried attention. Fate cleared her throat. "Do you have any orders for us, Admiral? Captain?"

Chrono caught Lindy's eye, and she nodded. They both knew that the situation was in his field of specialty now. "Bring the others up to speed. Make absolutely certain that your conversations are not overheard. This is no longer a simple covert mission to keep secrets, we need to adjust our actions for full counterintelligence operations. We have to assume that the culprit or culprits will continue to attempt to gather information."

Fate saluted sharply. Nanoha and Hayate followed suit a split second later. Chrono nodded, seeing that any hints of familial intimacy were gone from their voices and expressions. "Yes, sir." _They understand just how serious this is._

"Good. Speak with the others, and inform Teams RWBY and JNPR. It doesn't matter what they are currently involved in. Interrupt them if you have to, get them in private, make sure they understand as well. Dismissed."

The aces left without another word. Chrono turned back to Lindy and Ozpin. "Headmaster, Admiral. We need to start discussing plans of action. The only assumption that we can make is that our cover story is blown wide open, and any secrecy will only last until the culprits decide to act on what they have learned. We have no way of knowing how long that will be. Worst case scenarios apply."

Ozpin rubbed his temples for a moment. "Do you have any suggestions, Enforcer Harlaown?"

"Only that we have to act, Headmaster. You understand the political environment far better than we do. It may be time to reveal our existence to certain figures in your governments, if only so that we do so on our own terms instead of being forcibly revealed by an antagonist." Chrono pursed his lips, frowning. "The political and social ramifications are beyond my scope of training, Admiral."

"I understand. Thank you for your analysis, Captain. Headmaster?"

Ozpin nodded slowly, then sat back down. He picked up his scroll. "I am contacting Headmaster Ironwood now for an immediate face-to-face meeting. Decide what you want to say."

* * *

The walk back across campus was tense and silent, all three of them wrapped up in their musings and not daring to voice them in public.

Hayate instead focused on the thread of her power that drifted off toward the city, corralling her racing thoughts. ' _Rein?'_

' _Meister! I'm sorry I didn't contact you when it happened, but it was all so sudden and then we had to follow proper procedures and-'_

' _It's okay, really. I understand. Are you okay?'_

' _Oh! I'm fine, just a bump on the head.'_

Hayate almost tripped on her own feet. ' _W-what? You were hurt?'_

Reinforce's mind-tone tinged with embarrassment. ' _It's nothing to worry about, really. I was just… I'm sorry, Meister. I was stupid and didn't stay far enough away after I bound the intruder, and she kicked me across the room. I'm just a little sore, that's all.'_

Hayate frowned. None of her knights would outright lie to her, but they would hide full truth if they felt full disclosure would hurt her in some way. Still, Reinforce wasn't even one to do that much… ' _Well, if you're sure. Let me know if you need anything, okay?'_

' _I will! Try to have a good day, Meister!'_

The connection faded, and Hayate shook her head. Nanoha opened the door to the dorm building, and they filed in, moving down the hallway toward their rooms.

Turning the corner, Hayate bumped right into Fate's back. "Oof. You make a better wall than door, Fate." The blonde didn't immediately respond, so Hayate looked over her shoulder. She blinked.

Nora and Ren were standing in front of ZFSH's door. Specifically, Nora had her ear pressed against the door, eyes wide and an incandescent blush on her face, while Ren was trying and failing to drag her away. The scandalously delighted expression Nora wore was one that Hayate knew well; she'd worn it herself on plenty of occasions.

The two students looked up at the same time, seeing the three of them standing in the hallway. The looks on their faces changed, conflicted between guilt and confusion. Nora straightened up, nearly smacking the back of her head into Ren's nose, pointing at them. "You- but you're- in- _how?!"_ She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Do you all have _twins?!"_

Fate glanced over her shoulder, voice low. "...Nanoha, didn't you tell Raising Heart to tell Bardiche that we caught the target?"

"W-what? No, I thought you did!"

Hayate brought her hand to her lips, hiding a smirk.

"How could I tell Bardiche? I left him here!" They both stared at each other, then turned to glare accusingly at Hayate.

It only made her grin wider. "What, you seriously expected _me_ to tell him to stop?"

Fate sighed, cheeks tinging red as she walked over to their room and unlocked the door. She poked her head in, just in time for a _salacious_ moan to echo into the hallway. "Bardiche? We're back. You can stop now."

The sounds cut off abruptly. " _Very good, sir."_ Hayate giggled; his clipped electronic voice was more stuffy than usual.

Fate sighed again, covering her face. She walked into the room to retrieve the Device. "...you did a wonderful job, Bardiche."

" _Thank you, sir."_

Ren's expression collapsed into complete confusion, while Nora looked almost _offended._ Hayate couldn't help it anymore. She started laughing, doubling over and holding her belly. "Ah hahaha! The looks on your _faces!"_

"What- but… y-you two aren't _together?_ That was all a… your robot weapon buddy? It sounded so _real!"_ Nora crossed her arms, affronted.

Nanoha ducked her head, embarrassed. "Ha ha, uhm… well. Yes, we are. But that wasn't us, that was…" She paused, trying to figure out how to say it.

Fate came back out, clearing her throat. "Counterintelligence action against covert observation. We were being monitored, so we had Bardiche put on a 'show' while we tracked down the signal. That's all."

"Oh. OH." Enlightenment lit up Nora's eyes. "That's… that's _amazing!_ Was it a pervert? Did you find him?! Did you _break his legs?!"_

Hayate laughed even louder. Fate spared her a shake of her head. "No, yes, and no. We delivered _her_ to the headmaster instead."

 _"_ _That's even better!"_ Nora punched her fist into the air, letting out a whoop.

"Anyways." Fate cleared her throat. "Could you find the rest of Team JNPR, please? Something important has come up, and we need to speak privately."

Ren nodded. "We'll go find them. Meet back here in… twenty minutes?" He took Nora by the arm, pulling her away. This time she let it happen, still smiling.

"Twenty minutes." Fate glanced at Hayate and Nanoha. "Get the other teams, please. I'll make sure we don't have any more surprises in the rooms."

* * *

He didn't want to believe the report. It was too blatant, too crazy, too _absurd_ to exist in a sane world.

The sheer power that she was describing was nothing but insane. _Atlesian strike cruisers_ may have the firepower to reduce a building to rubble like that, but not single soldiers. Not in a single shot.

To hear that there was a _group_ of people, hidden in secret in Vale, that could _individually_ call forth destruction on same tier as full-scale artillery? People that could fly through the air unassisted, like ancient myths come to life?

If it was _anyone_ else, he would have told them to lay off the drugs.

 _But Neo doesn't lie. Not to me._

She'd shown Torchwick everything she saw, reproducing the images in the palm of her hand. The black-suited figures; soldiers, that's what they had to be. The destructive light they could release, as they turned the inside of the building to rubble trying to find her. Above all else, the hulking mass of the damaged vessel in the hangar.

 _That ship._ Nothing on Remnant looked like that; nothing on Remnant _could_ look like that and be expected to fly. There _were_ no Dust arrays for lift or propulsion. The entire ship, even as damaged as it was…

"And let me get this straight. When you tried to eliminate the woman that saw you, she summoned an armored jacket out of nowhere, like a damned _magic trick,_ and then tried to blast you with a _disintegration beam._ And then one of them put up an _amplifier field,_ and _all_ of them started trying to vaporize you. While flying."

She nodded, a sharp jerk of her head.

Torchwick tossed his hat on the table. Neo snapped a hand out to catch it before it even hit the surface, but she didn't put it on. Instead she rolled the rim between her hands, nervously. Her eyes hadn't changed from white the entire time they'd been talking.

He sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers for a moment while he thought. "Okay. Okay then. Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

"James. Thank you for joining us on such short notice."

"It's no problem, Oz. It's been an uneventful morning." James nodded to him, then smiled. "Glynda, always a pleasure."

The deputy headmaster gave him a pinched smile in return. "Unfortunately, James, this is not the time for pleasantries."

James paused, raising his eyebrows. There were three other faces there; a blue-haired young man and a green-haired young woman, both wearing the uniforms of Beacon students. Additionally, there was a white-haired woman wearing a brown uniform jacket and skirt, standing to the side of Ozpin's desk.

After a moment, he recognized the two students from having read their dossiers. "Ah… Chrono and Lindy Harlaown, correct? You are two of the refugee students that Headmaster Ozpin brought in?"

Lindy rose to her feet, stepping forward to offer him a hand. "That is correct, Headmaster Ironwood."

The dossier's profile picture had shown a carefree young woman, full of life and cheer and inner laughter, ready and waiting for one more of life's grand adventures. The woman before him wore the same youthful face, but every hint of the bearing of a young student was gone; behind her eyes lurked the hints of _decades_ of life and experience. She was judging _him,_ and from her tightly controlled expression he could see that she truly believed she had the perspective to do so. James kept the frown from his face as he shook her hand.

Chrono Harlaown shook his hand next, and James could see the same hints on the young man's face. While the _depth_ in his eyes wasn't quite as aged as Lindy's was, he could still see the signs. The youth's demeanor reminded him of some of his own veteran specialists. His voice was cool and controlled as well, and as strong as his grip. "Headmaster."

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Now that everyone has been acquainted with each other, please take your seats." He waited while James and the refugees sat down.

"I have a question, actually, Oz."

Ozpin raised his eyebrows, waiting.

"Why do you have a pair of _military veterans_ pretending to be students?" James glanced pointedly at the white-haired woman, who, judging by the look in her ice-blue eyes, could teach _Specialist Schnee_ a few things about being cold.

Glynda took her glasses off to pinch the bridge of her nose. Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, then set the mug down. Chrono's face could have been cut from steel- _that's a tell right there-_ , while Lindy actually smiled and relaxed a little. The woman was the one to speak. "Technically, we're not pretending to be students, Headmaster. Our enrollment in Beacon is legitimate, if unorthodox."

The young man spoke up next. "Secrecy, Headmaster Ironwood. Operational security, need-to-know basis. Headmaster Ozpin asked you to come here because the situation has changed, and we have determined that you qualify as need-to-know."

James let the frown show this time. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his scroll and tapping a few commands, then set it down on Ozpin's desk. "Headmaster Ozpin, please confirm that my scroll has been set to secure mode."

Ozpin picked it up, examining the readout. "Recorders are inactive, and wireless functions are disabled. I confirm that this room is secure. Enforcer Harlaown?"

 _Enforcer, is it?_

Chrono nodded, and brought up his hand. A holographic window appeared in front of him, and he entered a few commands. A blue light sprang out from his person, stopping just shy of the room's windows before fading. " _S2U_ reports countermeasures are active. We are secure, Headmasters. Sergeant?"

James' eyebrows rose. _Well this is getting interesting._

The uniformed woman stepped forward, producing a blue-bound book from _somewhere._ She flipped it open and left it hovering in the air in front of her, and brought up a holo-window of her own. She tapped industriously at the screen. "Date is marked, recorders are online. This meeting is now in session. Admiral, the floor is yours." Her voice was as cool as her appearance.

Lindy cleared her throat. "I believe reintroductions are in order, Headmaster Ironwood. I am Admiral Lindy Harlaown, Time Space Administrative Bureau. This is Captain Chrono Harlaown, TSAB Enforcer and my top agent. My aide is Sergeant Reinforce Zwei Yagami."

 _I've never heard of this TSAB before._ Even while his mind whirled, James let himself smile. "Admiral? I find that hard to believe. You're far too young." He heard Glynda groan off to the side, and worked to keep his smile from widening. Chrono grimaced, shooting a martyred look toward the ceiling.

Lindy laughed. "I appreciate the compliment, General, but my son can attest to both my age and experience."

"Admiral." The Sergeant's voice was gently chiding.

"Yes, yes. Moving on. General, you have never heard of the TSAB before because it is not an organization that exists on Remnant."

 _A shadow organization. I'm surprised that they managed to evade notice from Atlas' intelligence services, but… it's been done before. I should know._ After all, James was _in_ one such organization. He shot a glance at Ozpin. "How long has this been going on, Oz?"

"Three weeks as of yesterday morning." Ozpin sipped his drink. Yagami opened up a side screen and marked a note.

 _Three weeks?_ That wasn't adding up. "I'm listening."

The admiral exchanged a glance with Chrono, then looked back at him. "I mean that literally, General. I am going to be blunt and honest to avoid misinterpretation. My ship, the TSAB Dimension Cruiser _Arthra,_ crash landed on Remnant after suffering severe damage in battle while in this star system. We made contact with Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, who has granted our request for secrecy and assistance while we attempt to get a signal out to home."

James stared at her for a long moment. She met his gaze unflinchingly, perfectly composed. _Three possibilities. She's either the best liar I have ever seen, she's delusional, or she's telling the truth. And Ozpin clearly believes her..._ "You understand that I find this a little hard to swallow. Can you support this claim of yours?"

"I am prepared to show you anything and everything you need to understand that we are telling the truth, including demonstrations of our technology and showing you the _Arthra_ herself." Lindy nodded to Ozpin.

"The _Arthra_ is currently being housed Drydock Six in Vale's construction yards." Ozpin sipped his coffee again. James noticed Yagami making another mark on her side window.

James let out a breath. "The airship _._ It was a cover story."

"Correct. We were trying to keep quiet, General. The TSAB has… a great deal of experience with making first contact with planetary civilizations, and it is almost always _messy._ The average civilian does not want to suddenly learn that aliens are real, even if we often look similar. It causes fear and instability, as they begin to question everything. After all, if aliens exist, what other fundamental of their personal realities that they take for granted will change? And as you are well aware, fear and discomfort…"

"Bring the Grimm." James covered his face, then slowly drew his hand down. "No, it makes… it makes perfect sense. I understand completely. You wanted to keep the number of informed individuals as small as possible to prevent chances of a leak." He looked at the admiral again. "But something changed. You don't change operational procedure on a whim."

She nodded. "The facility was compromised. An individual broke into the hangar, saw what was inside, and escaped attempts at capture. The operation to remain concealed is blown, and the only thing we can do now is damage control. We have to speak first. So, at Headmaster Ozpin's suggestion, we started with you."

"I suppose I should be flattered. If possible, then, I would like to see your _Arthra,_ and have those demonstrations of your technology."

"Then we can leave immediately."

* * *

"We are going to do- _nothing._ Absolutely nothing. We're going to leave this the _hell_ alone, we're going to tell _no one_ , and we're going to pretend that it _never happened."_

Neo blinked. Her eyes flipped from white to pink, and she tilted her head quizzically.

"I am _utterly_ terrified by what you've told me they were able to do, and that was when you caught them with their pants down! Literally! Imagining what they can actually do when they're _trying_ to find us?"

One of her eyes flipped back to white, and she nodded.

"Yeah. They're already going to have their eyes peeled, but if we stay quiet they won't know where we are."

Neo tossed an image of dancing flames between her hand, perking her eyebrow.

"Nope. If we tell Cinder, she'll make us go back out into the spotlight to find more out about these people. I'm not putting my neck on the line for her."

Torchwick dug out another cigar, snipping the tip. Neo flicked open his zippo, and he puffed twice to get it going. She flicked the cap shut, smiling in relief.

"Exactly. What Cinder doesn't know can't hurt us. If we know about this, we can plan for this, but we can't plan for whatever she'll make us do." Torchwick let out a cloud of smoke, kicking his chair back and standing up. "You know what, Neo? Fuck today in general. Let's go take a break."

A pair of arms squeezed around his waist happily, and then she was skipping off ahead toward the door.

* * *

"So that's the entirety of it. The _Arthra's_ location has been compromised. We are still attempting to maintain secrecy, as divulging information is still going to be Admiral Harlaown's decision, but we are shifting to counterintelligence operation. There are people out there who _will_ be trying to find out more about us, and we need to be aware of those attempts and ready to stop them." Fate looked around at her assembled friends; Teams RWBY, JNPR, and all of the TSAB students except for Lindy and Chrono were packed into ZFSH's room, sitting two to a bed and standing against the walls. "Any questions?"

Yang coughed into her fist. "Yeah, what are the chances of netting one of the teams a bigger room? If we've gotta do this again, a bit more space would be nice. This is a little cramped."

"You'll have to ask the Headmaster. Next?"

Ruby and Jaune exchanged a glance, and she raised her hand. "Uhm. Should our teams be expecting you all to change your, uh, schedules? Because of secret missions and stuff?"

Fate shook her head. "Not yet. As I said, this is counterintelligence. We are attempting to prevent others from learning more about us, which unfortunately means that we will be _reacting_ to further attempts at breaching our security. Proactive methods will mainly involve keeping up the act and making sure there is nothing that can be gleaned from us by observation."

Hayate snapped her head up. "Fate. Rein just contacted me. We're all to meet Headmaster Ozpin and Admiral Harlaown at the airfield. We're going to the _Arthra."_

Fate frowned. "What happened?"

"General Ironwood has been informed. They're taking him to see how deep the rabbit hole goes."

* * *

Two of the black-coated soldiers met them at the end of the maintenance tunnels. One of them stepped in the way, barring the way even when Lindy and Chrono stepped to the front of the group. "Sir. Ma'am. I need you to transmit your identification codes before I let you go any further." Her accent was a lot thicker than any of the TSAB Beacon teams showed, but was still understandable.

"Of course, Lieutenant Lockheed." Lindy called up a holo-window and rapidly typed a code into it, while Chrono did the same.

After a moment, the soldier's staff beeped. " _Identification code confirmed, Admiral Lindy Harlaown. Identification code confirmed, Captain Chrono Harlaown."_

The woman nodded, holding a hand to her ear. "We're clear. Open the hatch."

The overhead hatch _thunked,_ then slid to the side. Lindy climbed up the ladder, and the rest of them followed up one after the other. The two soldiers followed the last of them up, and sealed the floor hatch behind them.

James craned his head up to look at the carbon-scored hull of the _Arthra,_ picturing in his mind's eye the fall from orbit. _She has to out-mass any airship in my fleet. Even some of the ocean ships aren't that big._

The floor of the hangar was covered in a maze of stacked crates and racks of machinery. Ren could also see a trench bored across the floor, which disappeared into a man-sized hole in the wall of the interior office section.

"Sorry about the mess, Admiral," Lockheed was saying. "I did not check my line of fire when the intruder attacked me, and…"

"It's no worry, Lieutenant. She did accost you in the showers."

"Because of that, though, the women's showers are out of order for the time being. I apologize for the inconvenience."

James tilted his head. "May I ask exactly what happened?"

Lockheed gave him a once over, then looked back to Lindy. "Is he the VIP, ma'am?"

"He is. General Ironwood is here for the whole story, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Admiral." She nodded, then turned to the general. "Our security envelope was breached last night. The intruder caught me in the showers… though I suppose technically I caught her. She attacked me, and I tried to take her down." The black-haired woman pursed her lips. "I missed."

"You missed? With _what?"_ James gestured toward the trench.

"A buster class bombardment spell." The soldier actually _blushed,_ the slightest bit. "I was upset, sir."

The crash course that Ozpin and Lindy gave him on the flight over rolled through his head. "...right. I've been assured that you all use magic, and that your understanding of its nuances allows for it to be your technology?"

A man in a duty uniform trotted over to the group, sketching a quick salute. "Ma'ams. Sir. If Mage Team Alpha can be spared, we're ready to start installing the new hardware and software upgrades to help counter the interference effect."

Lindy nodded, handing a white-and-blue card to Chrono. The seven device mages peeled off from the group, following the uniformed tech to the offices. Zafira took Chrono's place at Lindy's side.

James had been watching the exchange silently, a thoughtful frown on his face. "I guess that answers my question. Admiral, would it be possible to get one of those demonstrations?"

"Of course, General. Lieutenant Lockheed, Sergeant Yagami, please take the general to the firing range. Keep it reasonable, though."

As a group, they made their way to the cleared floor underneath the _Arthra_ proper. Lockheed stopped at a floor marking, turning back to the general. "Any particular requests, sir?"

James twisted around, glancing back at the long scar across the floor of the hangar. He turned back to Lockheed, perking an eyebrow.

She sighed. "I do not even know you and already I can tell you will never let me live that down. One moment." She held a hand to her ear again. "Lockheed to Galant. Firing range, I need a phase barrier for bombardment demonstration."

"Phase barrier?"

"Yes. Many times we are forced to deploy in high population areas. City centers. Phase barriers are a method by which we minimize the…" Lockheed paused, thinking for a moment. "Collateral damage. It is done by creating a sub-dimension, a miniature world, that is a physical duplicate of everything within the range of the spell. Everyone with an active Linker Core, in Remnant's case an unlocked Aura, is pulled into the barrier."

James gave her his best _stop bullshitting me_ look. She just shrugged. "There is my partner. So. You wished to see a bombardment spell. Seeing is believing, as they say. Rosen, Convergence mode."

The staff in her hands flashed purple, and shifted into what almost looked like a heavy machinegun, except for yard long monstrosity of a split barrel. She hefted the massive cannon, waiting.

Her partner pointed the head of his staff at the ground, and a runed green circle spread out from his feet. He gestured, furrowing his brow in concentration. "Phase barrier going up." A _wave_ spread out from him, sweeping through James. "Sentra, please. Don't take the Shortest Path."

He almost lost his balance from the pulling sensation he felt. When he looked around, he could see a distinct green tinge to everything around him. "This is… strange."

"Only the tip of the iceberg, general." James glanced to his side in surprise. The white-haired sergeant had been completely silent the entire time.

Lockheed lined up her barrel with a distant block of metal. "Rosen. Indigo Lens!" Bluish-purple streamers of energy coalesced between the halves of her weapon's barrel. Then she unleashed _hell_ downrange.

The only comparison James could make was the Aura blast that Penny Polendina could release from her swords. The purple blast roared downrange, as wide as he was tall, before slamming into the block of metal and boring through it to expend its energies against the hangar's floor. When the haze cleared, the block was cored through, and a trench had been blasted ten feet further into the concrete.

"That's… impressive." James was more than just impressed, but damned if he was going to let that show. "What power source do you use?"

"That is all me. I am an A plus rank mage. That means… if I were to have my Aura unlocked, it would most likely be fairly strong?" The soldier glanced at Yagami.

"According to our research, that is correct. It's not a perfect correlation, but it is close enough to be statistically significant."

"Wait." James cut in, looking between them. "You're saying that anyone with an Aura could do this?"

Yagami thought for a moment. "With a device to handle the calculations, I don't see why not?"

His eyes widened a little. He had to ask. "Would I be able to give it a try?"

The two soldiers looked at each other. They looked at Yagami. The white haired woman tilted her head, eyes unfocusing for a moment. The moment drew into a minute. "...yes, actually. Admiral Harlaown has given permission for us to remove one standard issue storage device from our stores for your use while you are here. It will need to be returned before you leave."

While they waited, James jogged across the firing range to inspect the damage dealt to the block and concrete. He hauled the plate of metal upright, feeling the edges where the blast had gone through, then looked back at the soldiers. "And this is all a… facsimile? A copy?"

In response, Galant cut the barrier. The block of metal vanished from Jame's grasp, reappearing in its stand. The chewed up concrete was whole and unblemished. "...answers that for me."

A few minutes later a technician walked up. He held a slate-gray playing card with blue chasings in his hand, which he offered to James. "With the admiral's compliments, sir. You'll need to lower your Aura, and command the device to activate. Say 'set up.'"

James held the card up to eye level, inspecting it. "It seems such a little thing, but…" He nodded down toward Lockheed's _Rosen._ "Set up."

He _felt_ it happen, as something took hold of his innermost being. It didn't bluntly force its way in; it threaded through, meshing with him. The card flashed dark silver, and expanded into a short staff with a blue sphere held in the simple, U-shaped head. A simple, emotionless electronic voice sounded from the gem. " _Online."_

Galant brought the phase barrier back up. The technician nodded downrange, toward some of the smaller targets. "The device has a series of basic attack spells already programmed into its software code. Just point it toward one of the targets and say 'Buster' or 'Shooter', and it'll pull the needed energy from your Linker Core and shape the spell for you."

James inspected the staff for a moment longer, nodding. He pointed the staff at one of the targets. "Buster."

The staff flared, and he felt it _tug_ at his energies. A foot-wide beam of silver blasted forth, missing the target by a few feet and tearing a chunk out of the concrete beyond.

James' eyes widened. "Shooter!"

A smaller tug shot forth a ball of silver light the size of his fist, and it crossed the intervening distance in an instant to knock a chunk out of the target..

He felt a grin widening on his face. He hadn't derived _this_ kind of simple pleasure from shooting things since he'd been a huntsman trainee himself. "This is so simple, it's amazing! Shooter!"

Behind him, Sergeant Yagami politely covered her mouth, laughing lightly.

* * *

Junior's was empty on Sundays, closed to the general public. One had to be on a very specific list to get to enjoy the amenities of the private back room. The couches were comfortable, the drinks were good, the music was quiet, and the patrons were the type of people to leave each other be.

Torchwick was sitting at the bar, nursing his double-scotch on the rocks. He took a sip, enjoying the slow burn and the warmth in his gut. "Can't think of many better ways to relax, can you?"

Neo smiled from her seat on the bar, bouncing her crossed leg up and down for a moment. She waggled her martini glass between her fingers, then plucked out the spear of olives and delicately nipped one free.

The VIP room had about a dozen people in it. Junior tended bar, as he was wont to do. The Malachite Twins sat at the other end of the bar, murmuring quietly to themselves in their stuck-up rich girl voices. A few other figures that Roman had worked for or with in the past occupied the tables and chairs. A large video screen was in place behind the bar; some old drama about the Great War.

One of the guys called out toward the bar. "Junior, could you change the channel? We've all seen this one like, a dozen times!"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your pants on." Junior grabbed the remote, pointing it at the screen.

" _-nessed fleeing the scene of an attempted Dust robbery just this last week. Authorities were able to provide this picture of the unknown culprit. The Vale Municipal Police have placed a five thousand lien award for any information that leads to her capture."_

Every head in the room was turning to look at Neo. Torchwick slowly lowered his cigar, staring at the screen.

Neo's smile faded, as she realized she was the center of attention all of the sudden. She glanced at Torchwick.

He flicked the ash off his cigar, then pointed the glowing tip at the screen. Neo tracked the motion, spinning around toward the screen. A picture of her face was on display, plain as day.

Her martini fell from nerveless fingers. Her face flickered between lividness and incredulousness, and her mouth worked soundlessly. Finally she looked down at Torchwick, spreading her hands wide. _What the hell is this?_ she seemed to say. Then she crossed her arms, expression folding into a grumpy frown.

 _She's almost as pissed about them accusing her of Dust robbery as she is about them getting a picture of her at all. Poor girl. That's adorable._

Junior started clapping, slowly and steadily. One by one, everyone else in the room joined in, until the room was filled with sardonic applause. Neo blinked, looking around. Confusion overwrote her anger.

Torchwick couldn't help it, he laughed and started clapping as well. Neo looked down at him again, her question clear. "...well, Neo. You've joined an exclusive club. You are now a _known_ criminal that hasn't been caught."

He gestured out wide, encompassing the room with his arm. "Welcome to the family."


	18. Chapter 18

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha - RWBY

Chapter 18 - Looking Forward

The comfortable mishmash of sounds diffused through her dreams, trailing ephemeral fingers that gently rustled her drifting thoughts. The burble of running water, low tones and quiet laughter; the sounds of _home,_ bare and unfiltered.

An errant breath of air gusted over her, making one of her ears twitch. The sounds didn't get louder, but they became more defined and focused as she let herself rouse. Eyelids flickered open to reveal amber orbs.

A dry, robotic murmur caught her attention. Blake rolled over in bed, glancing across the dorm room. Weiss and Ruby were sitting almost hip to hip on the heiress' bed, heads nearly touching as they poured over a document scrawling across on her leader's scroll. Through the back of the transparent screen, Blake could see portions of the text being highlighted in yellow, and in the corner an image of a golden triangle pulsed with each syllable.

She pushed herself upright, ears angling forward a bit. " _Multiple theories exist regarding the origin of the biological Linker Core. Recovered lost logia provide support for several conflicting theories. Your roommate is awake."_

Ruby looked up. "Blake! Good morning!" Weiss echoed the sentiment.

"Morning. What time is it?" Blake rubbed her eyes, blinking a little.

Yang slipped out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam. "Quarter after ten. Classes were cancelled for the day, so we let you sleep in." She slid around the beds to her dresser, tossing her towel aside and throwing on her tanktop and a pair of shorts.

"You looked so comfortable we didn't want to wake you!" Ruby smiled widely, though after a moment the smile thinned a tiny bit. Her gaze focused a little above Blake's hairline.. "You, uhm…"

It wasn't hard to figure out what she was hinting toward. Blake's ears twitched again. "I didn't wear my ribbon to bed."

"Yeahthat. Is everything okay? It's not, uhm-"

Weiss rolled her eyes, giving Ruby an affectionate swat on the shoulder. "Dolt." The insult rolled off her tongue gently, not even a hint of real scorn in her voice. "What our fearless leader is trying to say, is that we're wondering if there's something wrong. Are your ears bothering you?"

 _They're adorable. Weiss is being adorable with Ruby. What is this world coming to._ Blake couldn't help but smile, shaking her head. "No, everything is fine, really. I left it off on purpose."

Yang plopped down on the other end of Blake's bed. "Whyzat? You don't usually."

Blake let her head tilt to the side, thinking about how to answer. "...well… so you know how things went yesterday."

"Yeah. We got to go with-" Ruby paused, then looked down. "B? The room _is_ secure, right?"

" _Yes."_

"Okay good. We got to go with everyone to the _Arthra_ again. I'm totally jealous that General Ironwood got to try out a Device!"

Weiss shook her head. "It made sense, Ruby. It was a goodwill gesture; one more thing to help convince the general that everything is true and that the TSAB isn't trying to hide anything from him."

"I know, I know. Anyways, what about it, Blake?"

"I just… spent the time watching, really. Arf and Zafira. How they were treated."

It was Yang's turn to tilt her head. "Yeah? It wasn't any big deal."

Blake nodded. "That's exactly it, Yang. They're _not_ a big deal there. I mean, there's respect, but it's… professional respect for their capabilities, the same as you or I might respect senior huntsmen. Their being familiars didn't…"

"It didn't factor in." Weiss was watching her steadily, the ice-blue of her eyes surprisingly warm.

"It did and it didn't. I saw one of the crewmembers toss Arf a box of _dog biscuits._ She was overjoyed."

Ruby blinked, confusion evident on her face. "...isn't that racist?"

"Racist as hell, around here. Do that on the street and someone will burn down a building." Yang snorted. "But that's the thing, isn't it?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't racist there. It just _was._ Arf is… hell, she's not a faunus, she's a _wolf person._ She likes dog biscuits. So they give her dog biscuits."

The red-garbed girl frowned. "...I don't think I get it."

Weiss took a breath, thinking a moment. "Part of what causes racism is prejudice. But another part of it is _assumptions._ Assuming that you understand who someone is simply because of what they are. It's like if I… scratch behind your ears without asking, because I know that cats like to have their ears scratched and I assume you're _just like a cat._ "

Blake's eyes widened slightly, and her eyes flicked down toward Ruby's scroll. Did Fate tell them-

The image of _Bardiche_ pulsed. " _Excellent deduction based on hypothetical facts."_

 _No. She didn't, Weiss is just being intelligent._ Blake let out a breath, nodding. "Exactly. But if I… hypothetically, _told_ you that I don't mind when a friend does it, then it's different because…"

Weiss picked up where she trailed off. "Because then it's a fact about _you,_ that you told us in confidence. At that point it's part of friendship, of understanding each other."

"Right." Blake leaned back on her hands. "So they don't treat Arf as the dog familiar that obviously likes dog biscuits because she's a dog familiar. They treat her as _Arf, who happens to like dog biscuits."_

Ruby nearly jumped off the bed, comprehension making itself known in her voice. "Just like how I like strawberries so you guys always grab me a few from the cafeteria!"

Blake smiled. "Exactly like that, Ruby."

Yang leaned a little closer, grinning. "So Blake. Was that actually hypothetical? I mean, I'm all ears if you're trying to tell us something."

 _She's trying to get a rise out of me._ Blake ignored the jibe. "The point being, is that no one was making a _show_ of accepting Arf for who she was. She's just one of them, and she's happy."

Ruby's eyes flicked up to Blake's ears again, and then over at the ribbon wrapped around Blake's bedpost. "...you left your ribbon off because you're happy?"

Blake's smile widened. "I am. Here, in this room? With you three?" Blake let herself roll sideways, her head coming to rest in Yang's lap. She twitched her ears, invitingly. "I'm home."

* * *

"You've had a night to sleep on it. What are your first impressions, James?"

James made a point of pulling out his scroll and setting it to secure mode, sliding it across the headmaster's desk. Ozpin glanced at the screen and nodded. "It's hard to describe, Oz. I now know that aliens are real. Not only that, I've met them in person, and they literally could be anyone walking down the street. They're just as human as we are."

"Personal opinions?"

"I don't know if my _personal_ opinions matter, Oz. They can help us. Their technology is leaps and bounds beyond anything Remnant has to offer…" He trailed off, rolling the spoken thought around in his head. "...and that's it right there. I just had to say _Remnant,_ instead of Atlas or Vale or one of the other kingdoms."

"The world has suddenly become so much smaller, hasn't it?" Ozpin sipped his coffee.

"Yes. This isn't about kingdoms anymore, Oz. This is about Remnant as a whole, this is about helping the _whole planet._ Everyone." James pointed out the window, making a grand gesture. "I'm not thinking about how this can affect my fleet. I'm thinking about how this makes my fleet _unnecessary._ And that's a _good_ thing."

Ozpin simply raised his eyebrows, an unspoken sign for James to continue. "I'm thinking about how this can make life on Remnant _better_. Forget the military applications, as amazing as they are alone. Look at the _Arthra._ Pocket dimensions. _Overlapping_ pocket dimensions. That ship holds itself three or four times over. It's powered by the _energy between dimensions._ If they're willing to share, we wouldn't need _Dust_ anymore."

"I'm fairly certain that we wouldn't lose our dependency on Dust so quickly."

"But it would revolutionize energy production. It would let us save Dust for other applications. Demand would go down, prices around the world would drop. That's revolutionary." James barked a laugh. "The Schnee Dust Company would piss their collective pants."

"They are an Atlas based firm. The economic upheaval would hurt Atlas more than anyone else."

"In the short term, yes. But it would be _worth_ it." James leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of him. "Long story short, Oz? You have my full support."

"I'm glad to hear it, James." Ozpin set his mug aside. "We need to talk about our goliath in the room, however. I've recalled Qrow. I told him to drop everything and return to Beacon. Full priority. We can't make any final decisions without him here."

"Of course." James furrowed his brow. "I'm thinking of bringing in Specialist Schnee as well. Not to _this,_ but for the TSAB situation. I need another person in my chain of command that's in the know, and she's one of my best."

"Ah. That would be fortuitous for me as well, as a matter of fact. When do you believe she can be here?"

James reached out and picked up his scroll. "I'm cancelling secure mode." He tapped through commands and sent a quick message. The response came almost immediately. "She'll be here Wednesday."

"Excellent. If I may borrow her for a period of time, I would like for her to speak in my seminar course."

James cocked an eyebrow. "Hunter Ethics?"

"Yes. There was a… situation. Her sister was involved in stopping a riot, and I believe Winter's perspective will be useful to her."

* * *

Yang yanked her hands back, not daring to move. The room had gone completely silent. Ruby and Weiss stared at the both of them, eyes wide.

Blake broke the stalemate, tilting a little to glance at Yang out of the corner of her eye. "I have an itch, Yang."

Very tentatively, Yang let her hands settle on the crown of Blake's head. With the greatest of daring, she crooked her fingers, moving them back and forth, hyper aware of every motion and sound.

Her nails made contact with the base of Blake's ears. The resulting _rumble_ she felt as much as heard shook her breath in her lungs, and she felt her mouth fall open. "B-blake? Blake, are you _purring?"_

Ruby's hands flew to her mouth, and the high-pitched _squee_ she was letting out was almost inaudible. Her eyes _shined_ in the light.

Weiss unceremoniously pushed her over, not even looking away. "Dolt. Stop staring."

"W-w-what?! You first!" The heiress blushed when Ruby's rebuke registered, and she glanced off to the side.

Yang did her best to ignore the byplay. "Blake, is this really-"

"Little to the left. More pressure."

"...okay then."

The next few minutes that passed felt like an eternity, but Yang wouldn't have traded them for the world. Ruby and Weiss went back to _Bardiche's_ dictated lesson, while Blake just rested against Yang and relaxed. "So what are you two doing?"

"Oh, uhm. After seeing General Ironwood get to try a Device, I went ahead and asked if we could learn more about them. Lindy gave me permission to have Bardiche establish an encrypted link to my scroll, and he's walking us through the general theory!"

" _Non-classified information has been approved."_

"Right that!"

Weiss nodded, tapping at Ruby's scroll. "She was actually rather smart about it, when she asked. She said, and I quote, 'If we're going to keep working as some of your primary points of contact, we need to know more so we can be more helpful and stuff!'" Weiss rolled her eyes as she mimicked Ruby's voice, earning a pout. "I swear, her puppy-dog eyes would work on a boulder."

Blake rolled off of Yang, sliding off her bed. She kneeled down and arched her back, chest flat against the floor and reaching as far forward as she could. A series of pops echoed through the room, audible even over her rumbling groan. Yang found herself staring.

 _...at least I'm not the only one._ Ruby and Weiss were both watching as well, and a blush formed on Ruby's cheeks. Weiss glanced at Ruby, then reached up and covered Ruby's eyes, earning a squawk of resentment. The heiress' own cheeks reddened a little.

Yang let out a whistle before she could stop herself. "Damn, girl."

Blake opened her eyes, realizing that she'd become the absolute center of attention. She went silent.

"Nono, don't… don't stop being happy. Shit." Yang hopped off the bed, kneeling down next to Blake and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Look, it's… you're a faunus. Be comfortable with it, don't feel like you need to hide from us at all, okay? Part of being comfortable with your kittyness around us is being comfortable with the idea that some of the stuff you do will impress and confuse us."

"Consider us impressed." Weiss' voice was dry but amused.

"Yeah. We're fine if you're fine, and that's what matters. If we have questions, we'll ask. Okay?"

Blake slowly straightened up. "Okay. Sorry if that was a little weird, I just... I haven't _stretched_ properly in months."

Yang grinned. "Anytime you want an audience, you let me know."

* * *

Despite the day off of classes, Beacon's arena was quite full of students. Professor Goodwitch opened the room for free training, and dozens of students were occupying the arena's floor and stands. Fun seemed to be the rule of the moment; structured, ordered, observed fun, but fun nonetheless.

To keep things moving forward, Professor Goodwitch arranged for team versus team matches, adjusting the arena terrain randomly for each group. Which was why Amy found herself belly-crawling through a bombed-out cityscape, trying to keep her head below the cover provided by crumbling walls.

The heavy _riproar_ of Coco's chaingun tore the air asunder again, showering Amy with shards of brick. The higher-pitched crack of _Durandal_ split the air twice, and the chaingun cut off, replaced by the fashionista's cursing. Lindy called out to her. "Amy, move! Gotcha covered!"

She scrambled to her feet and dashed for the dilapidated building in front of her, diving through the shattered window. She rolled across the floor, slamming her shoulder into the wall. She beamed a smile at Chrono, who was already crouched next to her. "Hey, hubs!"

He shook his head, but managed a smile back to her. "Lindy's got Adel pinned down, but she either needs some support out there or we need to draw the rest of CFVY in here. Ideas?"

"Just one!" Amy popped up, sighting through the window and firing a three round burst into Yatsuhashi's back. The giant whirled around, and her next burst sparked off the massive slab of metal that was his sword. "That got his attentio- oh crap bad idea _herehecomes!"_

They both dove aside just in time; Yatsuhashi smashed _through_ the wall, sending bricks flying everywhere. One skipped off Amy's head, knocking her flat on her back. She saw stars.

The giant second-year strode forward, spinning his sword in the way of Chrono's shotgun blasts. A surprise kick caught Chrono in the gut and blasted him through the wall.

Yatsuhashi turned toward Amy, bringing his sword up. The blade came crashing down, wires wrapped around it and catching the light.

 _Wires?_

The blow went wide as the huge man was yanked off balance, his sword cleaving into the wall. Shamal slammed into him shoulder first, knocking him away. "Run! Find Chrono!"

She got up and ran into the darker corridors of the building, checking her scroll. _Twenty nine percent. Hell._

There was a corner coming up. _Slice the pie. Cover the angles._ Amy brought her rifle up, swinging wide around the corner and revealing the next room over a long moment.

She didn't see Chrono.

She saw _bunny ears,_ just perking up as the faunus looked toward her.

Amy fired.

* * *

"Team CFVY wins by Aura depletion. Good match, everyone." Glynda nodded in satisfaction as the two teams' members helped each other off the field. Despite the closed-in appearance of the building block they were fighting in, there had been plenty of interior cameras to provide the audience with a good show. Shamal and Yatsuhashi had been a case of the wind against the mountain, and had only ended when Coco caught the blonde in her sights and unleashed most of her ammo drum at her. Lindy had gotten revenge with a vicious headshot, and was promptly eliminated when Yatsuhashi threw a six foot section of wall at her.

Chrono and Amy had managed to catch Velvet in a crossfire, whittling the teams down to two apiece. The two weren't able to hold up against CFVY's melee specialists, though, and the fight came to an end shortly after.

Still, Glynda was impressed. Considering their disadvantages in the style of combat, CSAL had held out quite well against CFVY. It didn't hurt that they took their drumming in good cheer, and were bantering back and forth with the second-years.

Once they were clear, she reset the floor. "Next up we have JNPR against NAVY."

* * *

"Anyways, that's our cue. We'll be back in a week. Hit me up and we'll have another match."

"We'll be here. Good luck out there, Adel."

"See ya, Harlaown." They shook hands, and Team CFVY jogged across the landing pad to their waiting Bullhead.

Chrono watched them go, the polite smile fading from his features. His words echoed in his thoughts, mocking him. ' _We'll be here.' Yeah, we're not going anywhere anytime soon._

The bullhead's lifters flared. A hot gust blew past Chrono, catching on his duster and making it flap in the wind behind him. He waited until the VTOL craft had shrunk to a spot on the horizon before he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked back toward campus proper.

Amy ran up to him as he got closer, settling into step with him. "What'd they talk to you about?"

"Nothing major. Adel wants another sparring match when they get back from their training mission. They're pretty impressed with us." Chrono gave his wife a smile. "Had a lot of good words to say about you, specifically."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Good grasp of tactics, great use of cover, et cetera."

His smile faded. Amy noticed, frowning. "You okay, honey?"

 _No sense in lying to her._ "I'm worried about the kids."

Any remaining cheer drained away from her face, and she sighed. She pulled one of his hands from his pocket, threading her fingers through his. "...me too. I know Mom and Dad will take good care of them, and Leti's there to help, just… I miss them too, Chrono."

The rest of the walk passed in silence. As they got closer to the dorm, Chrono noticed a splash of red, and looked to see Ruby talking animatedly with Lindy and Shamal. The blonde _Wolkenritter_ had a politely amused expression, while his mother looked… problematically cheerful. _What on Mid-Childa are they talking abou-_

Lindy caught sight of him. Her smile spread into a grin. "Chrono! Guess what?"

"What."

"Ruby wants to know if we'd like to help plan the school dance! Isn't that great?"

 _Gods no._ "Do I have a choice?"

Ruby _appeared_ in front of him, awash in red petals. "Don't you want to learn more about our culture? This'd be the perfect way to do it! Choosing the decorations, the music, everything! They're all windows into Valean life!"

Lindy just grinned wider. Amy pecked him on the cheek.

Chrono sighed, shooting his mother a glare. _I'll get you for this._ "Fine."

Ruby cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "YES! Oh there's Nanoha! 'Scuse me!"

* * *

The training arena floor had been divided into smaller circles for individual matches. Professor Goodwitch still kept a general eye on things, but seemed to feel content to leave the students to their own devices. A half dozen pairs of trainees exchanged blows, each match surrounded by cheering peers.

Emerald and Mercury stood near the center, passively watching as the pairs of students beat the stuffing out of each other. A few months earlier, they'd gone over the dossiers that Cinder had acquired, but they'd come to the realization that there were some _new_ students as well.

 _Refugees_ was the word around the school, rescued from the wilds and the Grimm after their rickety old airship crashed and burned far outside the city gates. _Not that it'll save them in the end,_ Emerald thought with a derisive sneer. _They should've stayed outside the walls._

But then again… they were _street smart_ for a bunch of country hicks. She leaned close to Mercury, muttering darkly. "None of the new kids keep anything important in easy to reach places."

Mercury looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. "Emerald, we're in the arena. Who takes their wallet into the arena?"

Emerald held up his wallet, dropping it into his hands. "You."

"Son of a bitch." Mercury opened it up suspiciously, then blinked. "...since when do you give me back my wallet with _more_ money in it?"

"You're not the only one who's a dumbass, dumbass. The point is that none of the _hicks_ are that stupid, and they're the ones that _should_ be."

"Huh." Mercury pocketed his wallet- _right where I can grab it again. Moron…-_ and rubbed his chin. "That's a good point…. damn, check her out." He nodded toward the blonde in black, who was spinning a slim, lightweight-

"Shit. That's a _scythe."_ Emerald frowned, watching the blonde effortlessly ward off the assault of a brunette with an oddly curved spear.

They both moved a bit closer, near enough to hear the constant banter between the two obvious friends. "-not fighting like you mean it, Fate-chan!"

"It's fine, Nanoha." The blonde sidestepped a thrust, then backflipped right over a hasty cross-bodied slash.

" _Mooouu!_ C'mon! Why are you taking it so easy?" Nanoha had a frown on her face.

"Because today doesn't end in pink." Fate grinned, and the brunette paled. The tables turned immediately, as the blonde immediately _took_ the offensive away.

Emerald had just turned her head to glance at Mercury when an arm came down hard over her shoulders. She let out an indignant yelp as she was _pulled_ into a side-hug, struggling against the vice-like grip. "What the _fuck_ are-"

"Seeing something you like, kiddoes?" Emerald could hear the smile in the woman's voice, and craned her head to look. _It's that bitch again!_ Sure enough, it was the orange-haired wolf faunus from Tukson's, the one that had ruined their cleanup attempt. She was grinning widely, sharp teeth on full display as she pulled Mercury and Emerald in closer.

"Fuckin' let go of me, you furry creep!" Emerald tried to lever the faunus' arm away, but her muscles may as well have been made of steel. Mercury's face had gone completely still.

"Just as soon as we understand something. You know I remember both of you. I don't know what kind of shit Haven lets you get away with, but understand that we're not a bunch of scaredy-cat bookstore owners around here." She pulled them a little closer, her voice still annoyingly cheerful. "I saw you watching Fate. If you do anything, _anything_ to her; if you mess up one little blonde hair on her head?"

Emerald glared at her. "You'll _what?"_

The faunus made a point of sniffing the air. "Mercury here will need a hell of a lot more than a new pair of _legs._ And you'll be right there in traction with him." She winked, then shoved them both away hard enough to make them stumble. "Just so we understand each other~!"

Mercury clenched his fists. "Listen here you-"

Arf stepped forward into his personal space, seeming to tower over him, tail thrashing. "Oh! D'you wanna _wrestle?!"_ The grey-haired boy stepped back.

Emerald put a hand on Mercury's shoulder. "No. We get it. Nothing to worry about."

"Good." The faunus started walking away, but turned after a few steps to point at them, then at her own eyes. "I'm watchin' you." Her ear twitched, and she turned away.

Emerald glanced at Mercury again. He looked _murderous._ Not in the 'I'm gonna fucking kill her' way that a person gets when angry. He looked murderous in the 'I'm currently planning on how best to kill her' way that was special to him. "No."

"What?"

Emerald jerked her head toward the locker room. "Let's get out of here." She walked away, just pausing to make sure he was following.

Only when she was sure they were completely out of earshot did she hiss at him. "Leave her the fuck alone, Mercury. Shit's already gone to hell."

"She fucking _knows,_ Emerald. No one can know about that."

"And everyone in the room just saw us arguing! If _anything_ happens to her you and I are immediate suspects!" Emerald rubbed her face. "We don't even know how many people she told about the bookstore. Did she keep it a secret? Did she tell the _headmaster?"_

"It only takes one accident-"

"Fuck that, do you know how hard it is for an _Aura user_ to have an accident? Trip in the shower? Ha!" Emerald let out a bitter laugh. "They'll break the floor before they break their neck!" _It's all coming apart. It's all coming apart and it's my fault and she's going to throw me away._

* * *

The word slammed through her consciousness like a thundercrash. She whirled on her heels, eyes fixing on where the word came from. "Did you say _dance?!"_

Hayate looked up, blinking. "Yeah, Ruby asked us to help out with some of the planning and decorations and everything. What's up?" Behind her, Signum took one look at Nora and quietly slipped away.

"Ooooooooh that's awesome!" Nora ran over to grab Hayate by the shoulders. "What are you gonna do?"

"Hahaha, well…" The brunette laughed awkwardly. "Nanoha and Fate kind of threw me out of the planning session. They said no one would understand all the pop-culture references. They're right of course, but now I'm sort of at loose ends for a while until they're ready to start setting things up."

"Ooooh, I think we can still help!" Nora threw an arm around Hayate's shoulders, gesturing broadly toward the cafeteria. She could _see_ the shining truth in front of her, calling to her! "What do you see?!"

"...students? Everyone's eating lunch."

"PEOPLE! But so many of them are missing something!"

Hayate narrowed her eyes. "...they're missing something…"

"They're missing something for the _dance!"_ Nora could see it so clearly! Hayate had to understand, it was _right there!_ Well, the problem is that it _wasn't_ right there, but the _absence of it_ was right there! Being _absent!_ "They're missing it and it's an absolute affront to everything that dances are about!"

Comprehension dawned on Hayate's face, like the sun breaking through the clouds! _No, like the face of an ursa after I hit it in the back of the head with Magnhild and it realizes it's been hit in the back of the head with Magnhild and no wait that's wrong. That just makes them squishy._ Nora started jumping up and down, still latched onto the smaller brunette.

"You go to a dance to _dance._ And it's hard to dance with someone if you don't have someone to go to the dance with." Hayate didn't disappoint her. Blue eyes met turquoise.

"Blitzing beowolves! You _get_ it!" Nora let out a cheer, thrusting her fist into the air! "SO! Do you wanna?"

Hayate started laughing. "Do I? Of course I do!"

"Yes! The dance is coming, and pairs must be paired! Trios too, if they roll with that!"

"Yes!"

Some of the nearer students glanced warily toward them, then scooted further away and ducked their heads. Nora didn't care. "YES! I am the _QUEEN OF THE COURTSHIP, and you shall be my INQUISITOR!"_

* * *

Across the campus, Signum closed the door to her room, putting her back to it. She let her legs give out, sliding down the door to sit in a heap.

Zafira raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Signum slowly let her face fall into her hands. "We're doomed."


	19. Interlude 1

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Interlude - Loss of Contact

" _I'll send you that video file as soon as we hang up. Have a good night, Leti!"_

"You too. I'll be by next week to pick them up." Leti closed the connection, leaning back in her chair and smiling. Chrono and Amy's twins were being easy enough on their grandparents, but Leti had offered long ago to help care for them while the two were deployed. Until then, though, she'd happily pass along messages to Lindy whenever she called-

Leti frowned, and checked the date. _She hasn't called in a week, now. She never takes that long, even when she's on deployment._ A disquieted feeling settled in her stomach, instinct and gut feeling telling her that something was _wrong._

A wave of her hand brought up a communication panel, and she tapped out a contact.

The call connected after a short moment. " _Fleet Services. How can I help you, Admiral Lowran?"_

"Hello, Lieutenant. I just need to confirm a few details with you, if you have the time?"

" _Of course, Admiral. Clearance code, please."_

They already knew that Leti was calling from her office. Giving her clearance code was standard procedure; she could give multiple different codes if she so choose, secretly informing the listener that she was under duress or compromised, or that her questions were of sensitive nature. "Cobalt, lotus, effort, actual, ready." _No games today, just basic questions._

" _Clearance code confirmed. Thank you, Admiral. What would you like to know?"_

"I need to know the deployment details for the L-Class Cruiser _Arthra."_

" _Just a moment!"_ The lieutenant looked away from her screen for a moment, tapping industrially at her console. " _Standard patrol schedule in Sector Delta-Seventeen. Hardware loadout; standard. Crew compliment and Mage Tea- Sankt Kaiser, were they expecting to subdue a planet?"_

Leti raised her eyebrows, pointedly. "Admiral Harlaown had told me it was a final command run, nothing more. They're all friends."

" _My apologies, Admiral Leti. Hmm… that looks like everything."_

"Has there been any contact from the _Arthra_ in the past week?"

" _...no, ma'am. Nothing out of that sector at all."_

Leti frowned. "Are they running dark?"

" _Not according to the patrol profile."_ Any humor had drained out of the lieutenant's voice.

The feeling in her gut twisted. "I see. Please send all files relating to the full mission profile of the _Arthra's_ current deployment to my office. Hardcopy and electronic."

" _Yes, ma'am."_

* * *

" _I'm sorry, Admiral. The Arthra has been listed as MIA per your orders, and I can assure you that it is an item of priority among the general staff, but no decisions have been made at this time."_

"I sent that information to you four days ago, and you're telling me that _nothing_ is being done? We have a _missing dimensional cruiser_ on our hands!"

The man on the other line sounded exasperated. " _Ma'am, I am not privy to the discussions taking place. I can't-"_ He paused, looking away from the screen. " _Hold please, Admiral."_

The screen blanked. Leti didn't even have time for the shock at the suddenness flake away into anger before the screen flashed again, notifying her of an encrypted channel connection. Then it cleared again. " _Admiral Lowran."_

Leti let out a breath. "Admiral Lockheed." Specifically, Admiral Murano Lockheed, Chief of Operations.

" _Lowran, I understand that you're concerned about the Arthra. I assure you we're doing everything that we can, but the fact of the matter is that we can't spare a patrol cruiser to investigate. The fleet's stretched thin at the moment. Brushfire wars between UAWs Fifty-Nine and Sixty-Four, and three different containment situations. Between that and trying to maintain some semblance of patrols..."_

"There has to be something we can do, Admiral." She did her best to keep her voice level.

Apparently, she didn't do well enough. " _Personal attachments don't get to factor into our decisions at this level, Lowran. You know that, and you know damned well I know that."_

He shook his head, then continued. " _My granddaughter is on the Arthra, Lowran. Believe me, if we could spare a ship right now, I'd send two. But we don't have a single combat-capable ship ready to deploy for SAR, and I am not sending anything less than a combat cruiser into that sector."_

"So we're stuck, Lockheed?"

" _The best I can do is the Ifrit. She's in drydock for standard maintenance and drive replacement, but I've already put out the order to get her ready for launch ASAP. The dockmaster told me three weeks, I told him to get it done in two. Unless a miracle happens and one of the other situations resolves itself faster, she'll be the first ship I can get out."_

The _Ifrit_ was an M-Class Battlecruiser, one of the most powerful ships that the TSAB Navy had to its name. _Lockheed's not playing around, at least._ "I see. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Admiral. If there's _anything_ I can do…"

" _You'll be the first to know."_

* * *

 _Two weeks_.

A dozen different holoscreens floated in front of Leti's desk, information from current containment efforts to the blockade reports from UAW Fifty-Nine displayed on the the screens. The situations weren't dire, but they were drains on manpower and resources, and no miracle had occurred to speed their conclusions.

The Arthra had been missing for two weeks now.

Leti had picked up the twins from Amy's parents, as promised, but ended up having to return them after a couple of days. Between the building stress and the long hours she'd been putting into the situation, she just didn't have the time to give Karel and Liera the attention they deserved.

That had been a stressful, awkward conversation. The Limiettas weren't part of the military, and the _Arthra's_ MIA status wasn't cleared for public knowledge yet.

To make things worse, Leti was finding her continuing attempts to lobby for freeing up even a single vessel stonewalled. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had a feeling that there were more than a few individuals with vested interest in seeing the TSAB's shining stars flicker and dim. Nothing official, nothing that she could act on, but she _knew_ that they were responsible for the Navy's delayed response to the _Arthra's_ disappearance. A requested file taking longer than it should have to reach her, correspondence sent to the wrong address; tiny things all, but time was important and every day wasted meant a greater and greater chance that the _Arthra_ would never be found. Or that the crew would be dead when it was finally located.

With heavy fingers, she entered a new set of variables for her PAD to use. "Domovoi, run the new parameters, please. Extrapolate on known data."

PADs, or Personal Assistance Devices, were a model of Intelligent Devices designed for use by non-magical individuals. While lacking any magilink processing capability, they were full artificial intelligences that could be powered off a mana battery or off of a larger facility's power net. Each one adapted to its owner over time, becoming an indispensable administrative tool for higher ranking members of the military. " _Yes, ma'am. Calculating."_ The screens started scrolling through their displayed data, a hundred times faster than Leti could on her own. " _Estimated time until completion; thirteen minutes. Would you like me to order your preferred beverage?"_

"That would be appreciated. Thank you, Domovoi."

A few minutes later, an ensign requested entrance, and brought Leti her tea. She exchanged a few pleasantries with the young woman, not even paying attention to the exact words, and then the ensign left. Leti took a small sip, trying to calm her nerves.

" _Discrepancy found, ma'am."_

Leti sat upright. "Monitor one, please." She skimmed the data as it was displayed, frowning. "...this is… Domovoi. Connect me to Fleet Services, please."

It only took a moment for the call to connect. " _Fleet Services. How can I help you, Admiral Lowran?"_

It was the same fresh-faced lieutenant as the last time. "I need to inquire about the deployment details of a ship."

" _Of course, Admiral. Clearance code, please?"_

"Ochre, basalt, serenity, confound, utopia, restraint, enigma." _Obscure._ Her personal code for sensitive material.

The lieutenant blinked. " _Clearance code confirmed. Please confirm encryption scheme Alpha-Two-Two-Four."_

"Encryption scheme Alpha-Two-Two-Four confirmed."

" _Confirmed. Encryption locked. What do you need to know, Admiral?"_

"Deployment details for _Lady Midday."_

The girl tapped at her console for a long moment, then her expression tightened. " _I apologize, Admiral. I am not at liberty to divulge information regarding the Lady Midday to you."_

Leti stiffened. "What do you mean?"

" _I do not have the clearance to access the Lady Midday's deployment information. The only information that I can provide is that your own clearance is insufficient to receive the details as well. I literally cannot help you."_

"The _Lady Midday_ is a stealth frigate, correct?"

" _I'm sorry, Admiral. I am not at liberty to confirm information regarding the Lady Midday."_

Leti blinked, then forced a smile. _She knows how to play the game at least._ "I see. Thank you for your time, Lieutenant. That will be all."

" _Have a good day, Admiral."_

* * *

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

The old man smiled at her, reclining back comfortably in his chair. "It's always a pleasure to see an old friend, Leti. Though I have to admit I wonder what brings you out to this backwater world. This can't only be a social call."

 _Backwater world._ Unadministered World 97. Earth. "You're right, I'm afraid. Something's happened, and I need your help."

Shrewd gray eyes fixed on her. "You'll have to give me more than that. I don't hear much from Mid-Childa anymore." He gestured off to the side, beckoning. Steaming cups of tea were placed in front of them.

Leti nodded. "The _Arthra's_ missing. It's been three weeks. No distress signal, nothing. All hands unaccounted for."

Gunmetal eyebrows rose. "The Harlaowns? Lindy and Chrono?"

She nodded. "And the rest. Special deployment, Lindy brought the old team together again."

He hissed out a curse. "Hayate too, then."

"Yes. The TSAB's fleet is stretched thin. Lockheed isn't able to shake a cruiser loose for an SAR operation, and he's not willing to send a smaller ship. I can't get any forward momentum in my own efforts; my requests keep getting denied due to 'existing concerns'."

"Everyone of flag rank with a bone to pick is seeing this as the perfect opportunity to be rid of them all. Rank politics. I remember the game."

"Worse than that. Domovoi found out that the _Lady Midday_ launched last week."

"The _Lady Midday?_ I've used her myself on occasion. Overpowered drive core, onboard weapons to match any cruiser in the fleet, minimal crew compliment. Fast, shielded, silent, and well-armed. She's a deniable ops frigate."

"That's what I was afraid of. Her deployment details are classified so tightly that Fleet Services couldn't even tell me what she was. The only reason I know that much is because the lieutenant I spoke with told me she couldn't tell me I was right."

The old man rubbed his eyes, ignoring his tea. "But what can I do? I don't have many friends left in the TSAB, Leti. The only reason I wasn't discharged is because they let me retire. I don't have any connections to pull, no ears to whisper into. I already used them all, and they won't be associated with me again."

"I don't need your connections, Gil. I need _you._ You and your girls. A favor, the biggest favor I've ever asked of you."

"Us?" Gil Graham raised his eyebrows, glancing off to the side. Lotte and Aria stood near the wall, looking at each other in mild confusion.

"I can't wait for the Bureau to move officially, Gil. The first ship Lockheed can send out isn't going to be ready for launch until the end of the month. Time is wasting." Leti brought up a holo-image, turning it so the retired admiral could see it. "It took me a week to scrounge it all together, but I bought a ship and hired a crew. She's an old decommissioned corvette, but she's still Dimensional-Seaworthy. The crew are all old Navy hands; past retirement age, but they remember what loyalty means."

Gil was silent for a long moment. "You want me to captain her. An unarmed corvette, trying to beat the _Lady Midday_ to the punch."

"I want you to find them, Gil. My hands are tied, but you're a free agent." Leti set a datapad on the table between them. "This is everything I could find about their last known location. Dimensional coordinates, mission parameters, everything. If anyone can find them, you can."

Gil Graham picked the datapad up in a trembling hand, but Leti could see the spark in his eyes was brighter than it had been for years.

* * *

"New players in the game lately."

...

"No, haven't talked to him. Saw them myself."

...

"They don't even know they're at the table."

...

"Mhm. He's actually got a few cards up his sleeve that she doesn't know about."

...

"Yes. They're in the thick of it."

...

"Chill the hell out, Ice Queen. They're smart and they're good. They'll be fine."

...

"Yeah. I miss them too."

...

"You're just jealous I beat you to it for once."


	20. Chapter 19

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 19 - Appreciation

"Threatening fellow students with grievous bodily harm is uncalled for, Arf."

Lindy's eyes were narrow and hard, but Arf didn't let it cow her. She looked right back, growling. "Like hell, Lindy! I told you about them before! They're total thugs!"

"What you did wasn't any better! We're supposed to be keeping _quiet,_ Arf! That was an unnecessary display that only drew attention to you!"

"Unnecessary my ass! And it wasn't a threat at all, it was a _promise._ I'll rip off his smelly robolegs and beat him to death with them if he tries to hurt Fate!"

"ARF!" Lindy thundered at her, then grimaced and glanced at the dorm door to make sure it was closed. She continued, quieter. "We are _under cover._ You know how sensitive the situation is."

"I know exactly how sensitive the situation is, _Mom._ But Fate is my _master,_ and her safety is more important. If blowing this whole stupid operation wide open is what I have to do to keep her safe, I'll do it in a heartbeat." Arf swallowed, then looked away for a moment, calming herself. She grabbed her own tail, trying to smooth out the standing fur. "...but only as a last resort. Only if there are no other options. Okay?"

Lindy stared at her long and hard, then let out a breath. "That was dangerously close to insubordination, Arf." Her voice was almost whisper quiet, monotone.

Arf couldn't help but flinch.

"But, I understand that the link between a familiar and master transcends rationality. Fate is your master and you _have_ to protect her, and you wouldn't have it any other way." There were cases documented in TSAB ethical doctrines and court cases across the galaxy. Lindy had spent more than a little time studying them after adopting Fate, herself. "Don't make things worse. Only as a last resort. And if that last resort comes to pass, I promise you I will be right there next to you. She's my daughter as much as she's your master."

"...okay. I'm not going to let the little assholes _slide,_ but I'll be careful."

* * *

"This way, ma'am." The detective led her through the caution tape and into the door. The front half of the building was a warren of offices and corridors, but opened up into a wide warehouse floor covered in refuse and debris. "Normally we would have started cleaning the scene by now, but…"

"But there is a prototype Atlesian Paladin in the center of the room. You made the decision to leave everything alone until an Atlas representative could properly inspect the scene. Nothing has been touched?"

"No, ma'am. We took pictures of everything from every angle that we could, and obviously the injured had to be moved for treatment, but everything that we could leave in place we left."

"Excellent. Pass along my thanks to your precinct, detective. If you will excuse me?"

"Yes, ma'am." He stepped back, giving her room to work.

Winter circled the internal perimeter of the warehouse room, taking note of each and every evidence tab left by the police investigators. It looked at first glance like they'd found everything there was to be found- _They'd better have. They had a week-_ so she only gave the items a cursory inspection. Most of her attention was on the Paladin standing quiescent on the stage.

She jumped up onto the stage, walking slowly around the giant mech, eyeing the hasty White Fang paint job that had been added to it. _Uncouth savages._ Flicks of her fingers formed small glyphs in the air around her, and she walked up her impromptu stairway to look down at the piloting compartment's hatch.

A strip of paper caught her attention, and she leaned closer to read it. The message was scribbled in pen. _To those concerned. This is not the only Paladin that the White Fang obtained. Location of remainder unknown. Be wary._

 _That explains what happened to that missing shipment I heard about._ Still, the note was another lead in and of itself. Winter plucked it free with a gloved hand, hopping down to the stage. She clicked her fingers and pointed at the ground next to her. "Caroak. _Heel."_

Her beowolf appeared in a flash of white light, hoarfrost spreading across the stage floor. It leaned down toward her, frigid breath a gentle caress against her cheek. Winter gave it a light pat on the side of its muzzle, then raised the scrap of paper to the summoned beast's snout. "Track."

Caroak's ice-encrusted nose snuffled at the note, and then it stood up on its haunches, sniffing loudly. Without another sound it leaped up to land on top of the Paladin, straining upwards with one clawed limb toward the warehouse's rafters overhead.

Her eyebrows rose. Winter formed new glyphs, both for herself and for her summon, and together they stepped through the air to the ceiling. Caroak sniffed again, then touched its claws to a specific rafter.

Winter leaned in close. Caught in a join between two girders was a small scrap of fabric. "Interesting."

* * *

It started when a thrown ball found its way indoors.

Lunchtime. Dozens of students had been chattering about their mornings over sandwiches and fries. Conversation was loud but tolerable. The mood was good.

A ball had come crashing through the window. There were shouts of surprise.

Nora came crashing through the next window, screaming 'I got it!' There were screams in response.

The food and drinks spread out over two tables had ended up scattered across half the room, victim of the orange-haired berserker's 'amazing catch' and 'picture-perfect landing'.

The mess was everywhere. There was more food in various students' clothes and hair than there was on the floor. Ruby and Weiss were only spared by the heiress' quick glyphs and faster reaction times.

The two had made the decision to leave before things got worse. They'd joined a flood of students making their way out the doors, while a few of the most badly food-spattered students were offered uniform jackets to wear by the more chivalrous of their peers on the way back to the dorms.

The pair had eventually claimed a private study room in the library, and went about unpacking their binders and folders.

"Kaiser roll, was Professor Goodwitch mad! I could still hear her from halfway across campus." Ruby thumped down into her seat. "I thought Nora knew better than to play catch so close to the cafeteria again."

"She does. I'm suspicious that she's planning something." Weiss sat down next to her, sorting through their binders. _What to do first._ "Okay. Our seminar course is Friday morning, so let's make sure we're ahead of schedule on _Grimm Theory._ I think Professor Port will appreciate us putting in the effort ahead of time."

Ruby groaned, but nodded and grabbed her notebook. "At least it's the unit on deathstalkers. I always liked reading about them."

Weiss gave her a look. "How can you like anything about deathstalkers? One almost killed you during initiation."

"...well, yeah. That's why. I can't just avoid them, right? What if I'm contracted to exterminate a nest of them after I graduate?" Ruby shrugged, flipping open her textbook. "I need to know how to fight them, which means studying them. We, uh… well. We saw what happened when I was stupid and just charged right in, right?"

Weiss blinked. She felt her head tilt to the side, and for a moment she just stared at her young partner. _It's been less than half a year. Has she really grown that much? Where'd my goofy, immature team leader go?_

"But after we finish studying for this course we should totally raid the kitchen. I have a bunch of fun ideas and-"

… _.there she is._

"-the rest of the refugees have all been cooped up for weeks now and it's probably really boring in there."

"What? Slow down, Ruby."

"Weeeell you know. Sentra and Rein and everyone have been stuck in one place for weeks now and they've probably been eating old rations and crappy take-out the entire time. I was thinking that maybe if Lindy and Headmaster Ozpin think it's a good idea we could get the teams together and cater for them. You know, sort of a 'thank you' and a 'sorry you're bored'? I know I'd be happy if someone did that for me."

Weiss looked down at their notes for a moment. _That's what happened. She's becoming both._ "Well… that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. So let's get our studying done so you can call them."

"Okay!" Ruby's pencil left a trail of tiny rose petals behind it as she jotted down her notes.

Weiss smiled, shaking her head and giving Ruby a bap on the noggin. "Slow down a little. You still need to be able to read them later."

* * *

"How thoughtful!"

Chrono glanced up from his notebook, perking an eyebrow. Lindy was sitting on her bed, leaning back against the wall with her scroll held up to her face and a delighted smile on her face. "What?"

"Ruby wants to cater a little dinner party for the crew. Since they've been stuck in the hangar for so long, she says."

He tilted his head, and set his pen down. "That really is thoughtful of her. When?"

"Tomorrow evening, if she can get her team excused from classes to use the kitchens. What do you think?"

Chrono scratched his jaw, thinking for a moment. "No one's feeling any reason to complain, but morale at the ship isn't exactly high at the moment. Between the intruder and the general situation, there's a bit of a… pall over things, last I heard. I'd say… yes, it's a good idea."

"I think it's a wonderful idea! Don't tell the other teams, a nice surprise would be good for them too. I just need to talk to Ozpin to make sure he's okay with the kids having the distraction. If he is, I'll give Reinforce a call to have her start getting things ready." Lindy smiled. "She'd love the chance to help throw a surprise party for the crew."

* * *

Jaune had just finished adjusting his tie when his scroll buzzed loudly for attention. He snapped it up but fumbled it, and bounced it haphazardly between his hands before managing to trap it against his chest. Shaking his head, he glanced at the screen.

It was a message from Headmaster Ozpin. _Team JNPR is excused from classes for the day. Please report to the cafeteria kitchens at 10:00am. Dress for food preparation._

"...huh. Well, team! New orders, straight from the top. Apparently we're cooking today."

The change in schedule gave them plenty of time to get out of uniform and stop at the cafeteria early for a leisurely breakfast. At Ten AM sharp, the four of them stood outside the double doors into the kitchen, and Jaune knocked polite. "Team JNPR, reporting as ordered."

The doors swung open, and Yang ushered them all inside. She was wearing a white apron and had her voluminous hair tucked up inside a chef's hat, and the moment they were through she hurried off to tend to a running mixing bowl. "Ruby, JNPR's here!"

Ruby appeared in front of them, scattering rose petals around her. "Hey guys, thanks for coming-" One of the petals drifted in front of her face, and silver eyes fixed on the flutter of red. She squawked in dismay, turning to see the trail she left on her way over. "C-crap! Crap!"

Jaune exchanged a glance with Ren as Ruby started trying to grab her petals out of the air before they settled in anything important. "You wanna give her a hand?"

"I don't see why not." Ren started snapping the drifting petals out of the air with practiced ease, and Ruby gushed a thank you.

"Be more careful, Goofball." Weiss rolled her eyes as she approached. "As Ruby was saying, thanks for coming. Aprons and hats are in the closet next to you. We're allowed to use this half of the kitchen for the day, as long as we don't disturb the chefs while they're preparing the daily meals. Suit up and let's get to work." The heiress half-turned to keep track of her partner. "Wash your hands and get back to it, Ruby. This is your idea, after all!"

Jaune found himself staring at the wisps of platinum strands teasing the back of Weiss' neck, where they slipped out from under her chef's hat. He knew he should be asking something but he couldn't for the life of him think of wh-

Pyrrha's voice brought him back to the moment. "What are we doing? I mean, it's rather obvious that we're cooking, but why?"

"Ruby wanted to make dinner for the refugees. All of them, and probably the headmasters too," Weiss declared, hands planted on her hips. "So aprons on, we're cooking for sixty people! Chop, chop!"

* * *

 _Okay. Let's see here._ Weiss ran through her mental checklist, tallying things off one by one. Ruby had grand ideas for the presentation of the meal to the _Arthra's_ crew, and Weiss had originally been a little worried about the girl being in charge of a fairly large project like this. But, Ruby had continued to show a surprising amount of maturity and foresight, and had asked Weiss to take the role of _taskmaster._ _'_ _You're better at handling all the fine details than I am! We're gonna be on a tight schedule, and I don't want to mess things up,'_ she'd said.

The acknowledgement of her skills had been… flattering. So Weiss had agreed, and took to running the kitchen with gusto and an iron fist.

A lightly-padded iron fist. These were her friends, after all. So she kept her expectations high, kept her more blistering comments to herself, and the two teams rose to the challenge.

 _Blake and Ren are getting the burger patties ready. Pyrrha's chopping vegetables for the salad. Nora and Yang are loading the grills into the bullhead. Ruby's got the first round of pies in the oven, and Jaune is helping her with the buns._

 _And I-_ She paused in her thoughts, looking down at the pristine red-velvet cake in front of her, and the mixing bowl full of white icing in her hands. _Have absolutely no clue how to do this without making a ruin of it._ "Ruby!"

"What's up!"

"Swap with me. I'll make a horrid mess of this if I try, and I will not be responsible for serving a red velvet disaster."

"On it!" Her partner hurried over, tugging on a new pair of plastic gloves.

Weiss stripped her own pair off, washing her hands. "Ren! Let Blake finish with the patties, I need you to get on the fruit salad! Bananas, strawberries, honeydews, and grapefruit! The recipe's on the fridge!"

"As you command." There was just a tiny bit of sarcasm in his nearly-monotone reply, and Weiss gave him a sharp look. He gave her a small grin back, and she had to laugh a little.

Weiss took Ruby's place next to Jaune. "Where'd she leave off?" Pure business in her voice.

"Uh." Jaune looked like a deer in headlights for a moment, before giving his head a quick shake. "Prepping the next batch of dough. She was about to start the mixer. Everything's already in the bowl, and it's been sitting long enough."

Weiss nodded and flicked the switch, keeping an eye the ingredients as they were swirled together. Next to her, the goofy blonde was expertly pinching off handfuls of risen dough, rolling them into balls and setting them on a baking tray.

After a moment's thought, she gestured at the mixing bowl. "How long do I let this go?"

Jaune leaned over to peer into the bowl. "Just a minute or two longer. See how the dough's starting to stick together and pull away from the bowl?"

"Yes?"

"That's what you're looking for."

Weiss nodded, waiting a little longer before turning the machine off. "How do you know so much about cooking?"

"Seven sisters."

"Ah. That explains quite a bit."

"They taught me to dance, too." Jaune's eyebrows perked up after a moment. "Say, uhm-"

A beeping from the oven cut him off. Weiss looked, then called across the kitchen. "Ruby! Pies are done!"

"On~it!"

Weiss nodded, then turned back to him. "You were saying?"

"Well, I was wondering, with the school dance coming up and all, well… would you allow me to take you as my date?"

Jaune hadn't even looked away from his duties, making sure that his hands kept moving and that every roll of dough was the same size. Still, the _audacity_ of him! Weiss opened her mouth to shoot him down-

"WEISS! Weissweiss!" Ruby grabbed hold of her arm, tugging. "Wegottatalk!"

"Gah! Let go, Ruby, geez!" Weiss rolled her eyes. "Excuse me a moment, Jaune."

She let herself get pulled away to an empty corner of the kitchen. "What is it, Ruby? Did you forget something for the party?"

"Er, no, uhm." Ruby tapped her fingers together. "I wanted to help you and Jaune, uhm.."

Weiss jerked her head back, scowling. "What? I don't need help with that-"

"I said help you _and_ Jaune! You were about to, uh-"

"About to _what,_ Ruby Rose?"

Ruby gulped, taking a deep breath. "Y-you had that look on your face that you get when you're about to start screaming at me, except it was gonna be at him and-"

"I do not _scr-"_ Weiss cut off the rising shriek, cheek twitching. She tried again, much more controlled. "I do not scream."

"Yoooouuu kinda do. Not lately though! But you did a lot last semester!"

 _Dammit. She's right._ It was a bitter pill to swallow. "I've been trying to be better about it… But, Ruby, if you're trying to set me up with Jaune…"

"No! No, nothing like that. I mean, I know you're not interested in him at all, and well I sorta saw the look on Pyrrha's face when he asked you and she'd be really upset with me if I did and she'd put on that smile she gives when her eyes are sad and I don't ever want to be the reason she has to do that and-"

"Wait wait wait! Pyrrha's sweet on _Jaune? Pyrrha?"_ That didn't make any- "You know what? Nevermind. So you weren't going to try to set me up with Jaune."

"Well, no. I was just… I wanted to pull you aside so you had a second to calm down before answering him? Just… let him down lightly, you know? You can be, uhm…"

"...I can be what, Ruby?"

"Very to the point!"

"Blunt."

"Yeahthat. See?"

Weiss sighed. Ruby was right, she could be… _very to the point_. If she'd spoken her mind in the heat of the moment, her words would have been as sharp as _Myrtenaster's_ tip, and Jaune didn't deserve that. _Besides. He's… being very helpful right now. I wouldn't want to ruin his productivity, either._ "I see. Thank you, Ruby. I'm sure Jaune would thank you as well if he knew. I'll… let him down lightly." _Somehow._

Something of that thought apparently registered on her face. "Just… tell him that you appreciate being asked, but uh… he's not your type?"

"Be kind but unambiguous."

"Right that! ...whatever that means."

Weiss sighed again. "I'll give him his answer once this party is behind us. And yes, I'll be nice."

* * *

 _Wireless signal broadcasted at 3.80 GHz - encryption scheme COLDSTEEL active_

 _Wireless signal detected at 3.80 GHz - signal source identified matching encryption scheme DOLLHOUSE_

 _Handshake protocol initiated_

 _\- Text OUT: CR!_

 _\- Text IN: Salutations, RZ! What are you doing this fine day?_

 _\- Text OUT: Oh, you know. This and that and the other thing. What are you doing today?_

 _\- Text IN: I am reading a romance novel! It's wonderful! But not very realistic. The majority of humans would not be able to contort their bodies in the manners described. I know I wouldn't be able to._

 _\- Text OUT: Are you sure that's a romance novel?_

 _\- Text IN: There's hugging and kissing, so yes!_

 _\- Text OUT: Riiight. Actually, I need to get Mistress Hayate a present soon. I'll ask about it later. Anyways! Guess what?_

 _\- Text IN: What?_

 _Wireless connection established - Scroll: Headmaster, Beacon_

 _Wireless connection established - Scroll: Harlaown, Lindy_

 _Wireless connection established - Scroll: Headmaster, Atlas_

 _\- Text IN: Gasp!_

 _\- Text OUT: Hello everyone! I have CR on the line!_

 _\- Voice IN (Beacon): "How do you do, Miss CR?"_

 _\- Voice IN (Lindy): "Delightful! This is your friend?"_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "Ah, hello. You're the on-site representative for the hangar?"_

 _\- Text OUT: That's correct! Nice to speak to you again, General!_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "I wasn't aware that we've met."_

 _\- Text OUT: Gasp! *covers her mouth*_

 _\- Text OUT: Lindy I'm sorry I forgot!_

 _\- Text OUT: Is he cleared? I can't remember if he's cleared, it's not listed in my file databases._

 _\- Text OUT: Oh crap! I wasn't supposed to mention that I have file databases, was I?_

 _\- Text IN: I'm sure it's fine, RZ! The general is very understanding about things like this._

 _\- Text OUT: But my internal coding structure is classified information! Crap, I wasn't supposed to say that either!_

 _\- Text IN: I'm sure it's okay! I'm classified information too, remember!_

 _\- Text OUT: Where you supposed to say that?_

 _\- Text IN: CALAMITY!_

 _\- Voice IN (Lindy): "Girls! Girls, you're messaging too fast. Slow down a little for us poor organics, please._

 _\- Voice IN (Beacon): "Is it always like this with her, Lindy?"_

 _\- Voice IN (Lindy): "Only if I try to watch her talk to other devices. Her human-interaction protocols are quite well designed."_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "Penny, who is your friend?"_

 _\- Text IN: I'm not Penny -Hic-! I'm CR!_

 _\- Text OUT: Yeah! She couldn't be Penny! I most assuredly don't know a Penny and I definitely would not be contacting a human girl named Penny via wireless access protocols!_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "Penny, I already know it's you. Lindy filled me in that you two have been talking._

 _\- Text IN: Oh._

 _\- Text OUT: Oh._

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "We need to have a talk about this, but don't worry Penny. I'm not mad. In fact, I'm glad you've made a friend that shares such surprising similarities with you. Though, I would like to know her name."_

 _\- Text OUT: I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say, General._

 _\- Voice IN (Lindy): He's cleared._

 _\- Text OUT: Okay, ma'am! General, I'm Reinforce Zwei Yagami. I recorded the minutes of your first meeting with Lindy and Chrono, and I oversaw your usage of one of our storage devices!_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "That was you? No offense, but I would never have guessed."_

 _\- Text OUT: I assure you that was entirely the point! I'm not normally so_ _boring and dour_ _, but I can play the part really well. Leftover programming from my predecessor._

 _\- Voice IN (Lindy): "Ixnay."_

 _\- Text OUT: Aaand I'm not allowed to talk about that anymore so moving on! General! We're having that party today, and I've been helping get everything prepared on this end and no one suspects a thing, but I wanted to make a request!_

 _\- Voice IN (Atlas): "A request of me. I wonder what that could be about. Yes, yes, Penny may attend the party."_

 _\- Text IN: What? Really? That's why you wanted to know what I was doing today?! Stupendous! Incredible! Sensational!_

 _\- Text OUT: Thank you, General Ironwood! I'll see you all in a few hours!_

* * *

"I know, I know. I said we were gonna leave it alone." He paused, pursing his lips. "When's the last time you lost a tooth, Neo?" The non sequitur caught his tiny compatriot off guard, and she looked at him quizzically.

Junior's club was as tall as any other building in the area, which meant that the small, balconied roof had a wonderful view of Vale in every direction. In the far distance, the giant hangars of the construction yards dominated the terrain. Torchwick was leaning back in a chair, nursing his scotch on the rocks, and absently eyeing the huge structures.

Eventually the girl shrugged, holding out a hand at a level even shorter than she was. _A long time ago,_ she seemed to say.

"Yeah. But you remember what it's like, don't you? You've got a mouth full of teeth, all in a line, but something's _missing._ It's missing, and you keep poking the hole with your tongue, and you can taste something funny and it feels weird but you can't stop poking it?"

Neo nodded, tilting her head.

Torchwick lifted his cane, pointing out toward the distant Drydock Six. "That's my missing tooth. I can't help but want to keep poking it. And that's a _bad_ idea, I know. But it can't hurt to look. From a distance."

They lapsed into companionable silence. Not that it was hard, since Neo never contributed vocally anyways. Torchwick spent the time flipping through files on his scroll, looking for yet more ways to acquire Dust for Cinder. There were a few promising ones, actually; if he could weasel some front money out of the bitch, he could _buy_ a shipment or two from a local cartel. _I might have to go with that option if I can't find another soft-_

Neo poked him in the side with her parasol, then pointed off toward the distance. Torchwick followed her gaze, then grabbed the binoculars sitting on the table.

A bullhead was flying toward the drydock hangar, Beacon's paired axes displayed prominently on the flank. "Well that's interesting. The Academy's involved."

Neo rolled her eyes.

"...yeah, shut up. Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

* * *

"Roland, I swear to the gods if you drop this thing on my foot I will chase you all the way back to Mid-Childa."

"I'm not gonna drop it, Sentra. Olivie almighty, you worry too much." The two of them grunted, moving the heavy, cloth-draped object foot by foot. "What the hell _is_ it, anyways?"

"No clue. Sergeant Yagami's had me working on clearing the firing range all morning, and then these came in by bullhead from the academy. That one blonde student… Yang? Brought them in, said she'd be back with more. Little while later Alpha showed up on another, and they're just as clueless as we are." Sentra pointed toward the offices, where a few of the _Wolkenritter_ were visible through the windows.

"Huh." A few moments later, they set it down in the center of a marking on the floor. "You want to look and see what's inside?"

"Only if you want to guard the front office and miss the surprise, Lieutenant Galant!" Reinforce zipped by, cheerful as ever. "Thanks for moving this thing! All the tables and chairs are out, right?"

"Got them out two hours ago, Sergeant. Seriously, what's the big deal here? This almost feels like we're setting up to receive a ship full of VIPs."

The unison device spun in the air for a moment, one finger tapping her lip in thought. She brought up a holowindow, making a show of checking the time. "Well. Te~chnically you're absolutely right!"

One of the hangar's vehicle doors started to grind open, until it was just wide enough to let a bullhead through. The _Arthra's_ various personnel looked up as they finished their tasks as the vehicle rumbled overhead, rotating in place to put down underneath the _Arthra_ herself, in the middle of the cleared firing range.

The transport's bay doors open, and a half-dozen people hopped down. Sentra stiffened, then straightened and shouted, snapping off a salute. "Admiral on site!"

Admiral Harlaown returned the salute, smiling, then waved it off. "As you were, everyone! Rein, how go the preparations?"

"We're just finishing up now, ma'am!"

"Excellent! Well, then! Gather around, everyone!" The admiral waved everyone closer, waiting until the entire crew assembled. "Thank you all for your hard work today. I'm sure you've been wondering exactly what you've been setting up for? Well, Ms. Ruby Rose has a few words for you all!"

The crimson garbed teen let out a squeak at being put on the spot, suddenly nervous. Her white-haired partner- _Weiss, I think?-_ gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and whispered something into her ear, and Ruby visibly steeled herself. "U-uhm, thank you all for coming…"

In the back of the crowd, one of the engineers called out, "A little louder, please? Having a hard time hearing you!"

"S-sorry!" Ruby took a deep breath, but was interrupted when Weiss snapped her fingers and pointed at the air in front of her lips. A set of tiny symbols, almost like magic circles, appeared in front of her mouth, and her next words were amplified. "What's thi- oh wow, I didn't know you could do that, Weiss!"

"They can hear you, you know."

"Oh! Right! Uhm, thank you everyone for coming, but I guess you were all already here since there's not really anywhere else for you to be right now and that's why we- I mean Teams RWBY and JNPR- are here! We know you've been doing a lot of work lately with trying to get a message home and all that, and that you're doing everything you can to support Team Alpha at Beacon, so… thank you!"

Sentra traded a glance with Roland, perking an eyebrow. He nodded a little, a satisfied expression on his face. "Nice to hear it out loud, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah, it really is." _And that's the whole thing. We're stuck here on an unadministered world, and one of the natives is thanking us for the work we're doing. That never happens. Normally it can't happen, even._ It was a surprisingly good feeling.

By the bullhead, the girl forged on. "So, uhm! In recognition of everything that you've been doing, Teams RWBY and JNPR took it on ourselves to do something nice for you!" She gestured, and one-by-one the other members of the the Beacon teams started carrying platters and coolers out of the bullhead. A murmur started from the crew, and Ruby had to raise her projected voice a little. "So get ready for fun! We've got drinks, appetizers and finger-foods ready now, and we'll have burgers and hot dogs ready as soon as the grills are warmed up and we can get them cooked! Rein, hit it!"

The unison device picked up a scroll nearly as big as she was, pressing a button with a flourish. The cloth-covered objects Sentra and Roland had carried unfolded into speaker stands, and music poured over the assembled crowd.

She couldn't help it. Sentra started laughing, clapping her hands together. The rest of the _Arthra's_ crew joined in the applause, and more than a few whoops and hollers echoed through the hangar.

Ruby pumped a fist in the air, buoyed by the crew's reaction. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

"Weiss! Weiss, everything's going perfectly! Everything's going perfectly and everyone's having a good time and it's amazing!"

"Yes. So why do you keep looking around like you're expecting the grills to explode?"

"Because it's all going perfectly! Something has to go wrong, doesn't it?!" Ruby looked to her partner for confirmation. Or absolution. Or something. There were a lot of thoughts running through her head and she couldn't single one out.

"No, you dolt. Geez." Weiss held up her hand, ticking the points off on her finger. "One, you ran the idea by the headmaster and the admiral first, so you had full permission. Two, you had a clear idea of what you wanted to happen. Three, you _quite intelligently_ delegated responsibility, to me because you knew that I would be able to handle managing the kitchen. Four, you had a half-dozen more close friends who all wanted it to succeed just as strongly as you did. Five, everyone is too busy having fun to notice if something little did go wrong."

"...so you're saying-"

"I'm saying everything's covered and you can relax a little." Weiss put her hands on Ruby's shoulders, holding her out at arm's length and looking her straight in the eye. "Ruby."

"What?"

"You just planned, prepared, and put on a grill-out and dance in twelve waking hours. Good job, Ruby."

"Aw, Weiss~!" Ruby threw her arms around her partner in a hug, ignoring her indignant squawk.

After a moment, she felt Weiss' arms wrap around her, patting her back. "Okay, let go."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes! You need to be a proper hostess. It's your party, after all."

Ruby let her arms drop, but she felt her eyes widen again. "B-be a hostess? But I've never done hostessing before!"

"You'll do fine. All you have to do is keep circulating through the party and making sure everyone's having a good time. Make small talk, don't spend too much time in one place, that sort of thing." Weiss sighed a little. "I'll be right at your side the entire time, okay? It's my party too."

"I guess so. You've had to do this before a lot, haven't you?"

"For my father, yes. But there's very little resemblance." Weiss pointed at various people, drawing Ruby's eyes. "You see how they're all laughing and having a good time? You see how _real_ their enjoyment is? They're having fun."

"Yeah! That's the whole reason we did this!"

"Yes. My father's parties aren't like this at all. They're… social battlefields. Those kinds of parties are to show everyone else how important you are, how rich you are. And everyone attends to show that they're important and rich enough to be there." Weiss rolled her eyes. "So you get a bunch of people who..." She trailed off.

Ruby blinked. "Who what?"

"Well… you remember how… not nice I was when we met?"

"You- Well… I did kind of blow us both up, so I deserved it…" She blushed a little, remembering.

"Regardless. The point being, compared to them, I _was_ nice."

"Oh. Ew." Ruby winced. "That must have really sucked to grow up with."

"Yes, it did. But we're here now, and this party?" Weiss smiled. "I'm happy to have helped you put it together. So, shall we?"

Ruby smiled back. "We shall! So, uhm. Do I need to give you my arm or anything?" She couldn't help but throw in the slightly teasing comment, and was rewarded with the chimes of Weiss' laughter.

The party was in full swing by that point. The bullhead had been moved after being unloaded, and now dozens of people occupied the impromptu dance floor, moving energetically to the thumping beats from the speakers.

Copper and white caught her attention, and they made their first stop. "Rein! Penny!"

The tiny girl was floating in the air, hands clasped by Penny's pinched fingertips; the two were having a rare old time, dancing to the upbeat music. "Salutations, friend Ruby!"

"Hi, Ruby! Eeee!"

Ruby exchanged a few words with them, and then at Weiss' quiet urging, excused herself to move on. The heiress guided them past the buffet table, snatching up a plate and some appetizers for them. Ruby cheered at Yang, who was flipping burgers from the grill onto a fresh plate, and then they were past and finding their next targets.

"Headmaster Ozpin! Headmaster Ironwood, Lindy! Are you having a good time?"

Ironwood raised his eyebrows, unable to answer through his mouthful of burger, but he nodded. Ozpin and Lindy both smiled, even as the headmaster was tapping his cane against the floor. "When Lindy contacted me about your request, I have to admit I wasn't expecting you to be so… _thorough,_ Ruby. I am quite impressed."

Ruby felt her cheeks redden a little. "W-well, uhm. Weiss really helped a lot, I would never have managed to do it without her. Everyone, really. Blake and Yang and Team JNPR, and Reinforce managing things on this end…"

"Indeed."

"But it all came together perfectly." Lindy raised her cup of punch in a mini-toast. "I look forward to when it's _our_ chance to return the favor. But for now, you've got to continue your grand progress."

The minutes passed quickly as Ruby and Weiss circulated through the party, and she found it easier and easier to play the role. The two mage teams were mingling in a large group, but Weiss had her drift along the outside edges to chat with the combat mages.

Finally, though, Ruby had to beg off for a few minutes.

Weiss gave her shoulder a squeeze, whispering in her ear. "You did great, Ruby. Go relax for a bit."

She found a chair by the buffet tables, dropping into it and suddenly feeling _exhausted._ She let her eyes close, feeling the music and voices roll over her like a blanket.

A few minutes later, an arm draped over her shoulders. "Hell of a party, sis."

"Thanks, Yang. And thanks for helping so much."

"Anytime."

* * *

 _Ugh. This class is too early._

Weiss had her eyes closed against the seminar room's lights, face buried in her hands and fingers gently massaging her temples. The class hadn't quite started yet, and Headmaster Ozpin was standing to the side of the podium. Thankfully, the collective students' pre-class banter wasn't loud enough to bother her.

"Weiss, are you sure you're okay? What's wrong?" Ruby kept her voice quiet, but Weiss had no trouble hearing the concern there.

"I think I drank too much punch. Did Yang-"

"Yeah."

"Figures…"

Weiss felt Ruby's fingers come to rest on the back of her neck, gently pressing down. At first she stiffened, but she bit down on the indignation to let her head hang a little further. "...left a little."

The next minute passed in easy silence, but then Weiss felt Ruby's fingers vanish. She made a wordless query.

"The speaker just came in."

The headmaster's voice carried through the room, silencing conversation. "Students. As I mentioned last session, we would be having guests, veteran huntsmen and huntresses all, speak of their experiences in the field."

Ruby's voice was hushed. "She, uh… she looks kinda like you."

"What?!" Weiss snapped her head up, discomfort forgotten.

Ozpin continued, but Weiss couldn't be bothered to look at him. Her gaze was locked onto a pair of eyes as blue as her own. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you all Specialist Winter Schnee of the Atlesian Military."


	21. Chapter 20

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 20 - Freedom and Fairy Tales

It was actually more difficult than she'd first thought it would be, Winter realized, standing in front of a class of Beacon students and talking about her experiences.

She'd done so before for Atlas trainees, but the rigid structure and lifestyle turned her speeches toward a more military understanding of things; follow the orders of your superiors, do not hesitate to follow orders. Don't waste time worrying about what the best decision is, because that decision was already made for you.

That didn't work here. Beacon made minimal effort to keep their graduates loyal to Vale, trusting them to follow their consciences and travel as they would. They _needed_ to have the judgment to make snap decisions, and the ability to trust that judgment. So, Winter spoke of different things, things that she borrowed from her own command classes.

"There have come times, as an Atlas specialist, when I have found there _is_ no simple, correct answer to a situation. Two years ago, I was in command of a squad of Atlas soldiers tasked with defending a Dust caravan that was being harried by Grimm. The situation quickly became untenable."

Winter gestured at the blackboard, forming tiny glyphs over her fingers. Lines of white frost formed on the surface, and within moments she'd recreated the location of the battle from memory. "Three dozen civilian miners and workers, seven transport vehicles. The pass was blocked by an avalanche, hindering forward progress. Burn Dust-throwers were available to melt our way through, but that takes time. To defend them, I had twelve soldiers, and myself."

Pausing for a moment to let the class take in the diagram, she passed her eyes over the various students. Her sister was sitting with perfect poise, back straight, brow slightly furrowed, hands clasped on her desk. Next to her, a surprisingly young girl with red-tinged black hair was listening attentively as well, but her anxiousness was apparent in her white-knuckled, worrying fingers. _That must be Weiss' team leader that she wrote to me about._

Seeing Weiss in the class had been something of a shock to her. Beacon's headmaster had described the class as an ethics and morality course for senior students, which Winter had assumed meant it was similar to command school for Atlas' Specialists-to-be.

Her sister looked away for a brief moment, glancing at the younger girl. Weiss freed one hand to rest it over her teammate's, and the girl shivered before visibly relaxing. Winter kept any expression off her face as she turned back toward the board. _Hm._

"There were limited options available. Grimm were approaching from behind and both flanks; a mixture of beowolves, boarbatusks, and ursa." Another gesture, and Opposing-Force markers appeared on the diagram, arrows pointing in toward the caravan. "I was the strongest combatant in the AO, bar none. My soldiers were capable, but only as effective as their armor and weapons."

A flicker of motion caught her eyes, and she looked back. Weiss' partner had raised her hand, cheeks reddening when she realized the entire class had turned to look. Winter nodded at her. "U-uhm. What does Ay-Oh mean?"

"Area of Operation."

"Oh. Thank you." She sunk into her seat, looking like she wanted to melt into her hooded cloak and disappear.

"It's military terminology. Beacon's curriculum may not cover those terms." Winter took the moment to assure her, then went back to the board. "While I was fully confident in my ability to fight against the oncoming Grimm, I would only be able to protect one angle of approach. My soldiers were trained in the efficient use of Burn Dust-Throwers, but every soldier working on clearing the avalanche would be one less to hold the line. I could clear the pass much faster, but then I would not assisting in repelling the OpFor."

She heard the girl again, whispering. "What's OpFor mean?"

"Opposing Force, dear." One of the other students had responded. Winter shot a quick glance over her shoulder to see the green-haired woman leaning back into her seat. Of all the students, she and her blue-haired brother both seemed the most at-ease with the situation Winter was describing; everyone else in the room was at least showing some sort of emotion on their faces; trepidation and confusion, mostly. Those two, however, were completely blank-faced.

"I was faced with a decision. Leave the Grimm to my soldiers and clear the way out as quickly as possible, assign half of my squad to do so for me, or let the civilians clear the path while my soldiers and I dug in for a prolonged defense?"

The green-haired woman raised her hand. "There is technically a fourth option, is there not?"

Winter raised her eyebrows. "What would that be, do you think?"

"Retreat. Abandon the caravan and save your men. What are worth more? The lives of trained soldiers, or the lives of civilians?"

The class went completely silent; Winter could have heard a pin drop. Sitting in the front row, Ozpin simply pushed his glasses up his nose, not even casting a glance over his shoulder. _She's playing the Grimm's Advocate, and she's doing it for the headmaster. Interesting._ "I would be lying if I said the possibility did not cross my mind. Command math is something taught quite thoroughly to Specialists, and it is a cold and unforgiving kind of math."

"There is a difference between lives spent and lives wasted." She gestured again, and the board rearranged itself. The markers for her soldiers were circling the caravan now, and her own sharp-edged snowflake symbol was at the blocked pass. "My men knew what they were about when they joined the Atlesian Military. I handpick each and every one of my soldiers that serves in battle with me, and they serve under me knowing that one day I may have to make the decision to spend their lives. But they know that I will not _waste_ them."

The image shifted again. The arrows crashed against the defensive line, even as the blocked pass opened and the caravan started moving through. Three of the Spear-and-Gear symbols melted away into nothingness before her own symbol returned to the battle. "I lost three men that day to the Grimm, but recovered all seven vehicles and saved the lives of every civilian in the AO. Was it the correct decision from a command standpoint? A full after-action review before a military panel determined that yes, it was. Was it the _right_ decision to make? There are three families missing their sons, their husbands, their fathers, who may well tell you that it was not."

Weiss' friend raised her hand again. "How do you… deal with knowing that your decisions and actions led to people being hurt?" She was having a hard time meeting Winter's gaze, and she started wringing her hands once more. Weiss was looking at her in concern, squeezing her shoulder.

It made sense all of a sudden; her and Weiss being in a class full of seniors. _The poor girl. And Weiss too. We're going to have to talk while I'm here._ "What's your name, Miss?"

"Er. Ruby, ma'am. Ruby Rose."

"I deal with it by knowing that I did the absolute best that I could, Ruby." She waited until Ruby's eyes came up to meet hers, and gave the girl a small smile. "I know I did the best I could, and I promise myself that I will do better the next time."

Other students started to ask questions, which she answered simply and honestly. After another half an hour, the headmaster caught her attention and pointed at his wrist. She cleared her throat. "While I would like to stay longer, time is unfortunately running short. It has been an honor and a privilege to speak with you all today."

One of the students started clapping politely, and it didn't take long for the rest to join in. Headmaster Ozpin let it go for a few moments, then stood and pointedly nodded toward the door. The students filed out in rows, conversation already building into a loud murmur.

Four students remained while the rest left; Weiss and her partner, and the pair of siblings. Ozpin paced leisurely up toward the door, stopping next to the younger students. "Weiss. By all means, take a little while to visit, but please bring your sister to my office in half an hour." He glanced pointedly at the green-haired woman, and Weiss nodded. The two older students stood and fell into step with him as he walked to the door. _More interesting,_ she thought.

"Winter!"

"Hello, Weiss." Winter looked away from the headmaster and his entourage to smile at her younger sister. "I didn't expect you to be in the audience today. The headmaster seems to have played a trick on us both."

"It was a good trick though. I'm so happy to see you!"

"Happy enough that you stopped writing? I haven't gotten a single email from you all month." Weiss went red, stammering, and Winter couldn't keep the faux-severe expression on her face. "It's fine. I assumed you've been busy with the start of the semester?"

"Y-yes. We've been _very_ busy."

"I'm sure you have. Now, I know I already asked her for her name myself, but introduce your friend to me?"

"Oh! Yes, of course. Winter, this is Ruby Rose, my partner and leader of Team RWBY. Ruby, this is Winter, my older sister." Weiss had quite a measure of pride on her face, but not all of it was _familial,_ which Winter found interesting. It was definitely at odds with the some of the letters she had received during Weiss' first semester.

The black-haired girl smiled up at her. "Nice to meet you, Winter!"

"Quite. The pleasure is mine, Ruby." Winter cocked an eyebrow. "I hope my little sister hasn't been giving you too much trouble? She's a perfectionist at heart. I should know, she learned it from me."

Her sister went a bit red in the face from the teasing, and started to sputter. Ruby smiled widely though. "She's been a great partner! Sometimes she yells at me, but only when I deserve it anymore. We've got each other's backs!"

Weiss huffed, folding her arms. "Ruby's become a very good leader. It's my job as her partner to support her as best I can, and to make sure she becomes even better."

"Of course. I'm glad to hear you two are getting along so well. I remember my first partner; If I had to choose between him and an ursa, I'd take the ursa in a heartbeat." She let them laugh for a moment, but then pursed her lips. "Weiss. Why are you in this course? You shouldn't be here for three more years. What happened to you two?"

The good cheer and amusement drained away from both of their faces. Ruby looked down at the floor, scuffing the tiles with her shoe, and Weiss bit the inside of her lip. "There was a… a _situation,"_ her sister said, borrowing the word Winter had used earlier, "early last week."

"What happened?"

Ruby shuffled her feet. "We got… we got caught up in a White Fang riot. Our teams were… moving in behind them to help the people who were hurt, and Weiss was putting out the fires they'd started, but…"

"But the man that was instigating the whole thing saw me, and…"

"...and they came after you." Winter wanted to curse. _Why didn't you tell me, Weiss?_

"...yes. He was… he was going to kill me, but Signum got in his way, and then Ruby and Zafira held off the _entire mob_ so I could keep putting out the fires. It was…"

"Bloody. There was blood everywhere, and it got all over everything, and I-" Ruby was worrying her hands again, and without missing a beat Weiss put her own over them.

"Sticky."

Ruby looked up sharply when Winter spoke the word. "H-how did you-"

"I did say I've lost soldiers under my command, Ruby. The first one died in my arms, and I still remember how my hands felt." Winter put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's not easy, I know. But you'll get past this. I would be more worried if you _didn't_ feel anything after dealing with something like that."

The girl nodded a little, and even managed a weak smile. Winter smiled back. "Your leader is a little trooper, Weiss."

"She… she really is."

Winter turned her gaze to her sister now, frowning. "Why didn't you let us know what happened to you, Weiss? Why didn't you tell me?"

For a moment her sister looked absolutely stricken, but then her eyes hardened and the corners of her lips turned down. Winter knew the look well, it was the one Weiss wore when she was being defiantly stubborn. "I'm seventeen years old, Winter. I can handle myself."

"Is that the real reason? There's a difference between not wanting to call home because you're homesick and not telling us you nearly _died,_ sister."

The expression of defiance crumbled. "I- I didn't want Father to know. I didn't want to give him a reason to make me come home. I _like_ it here, Winter! The professors aren't scared of my name, and I'm stuck in a dorm room with three other girls and I have to tolerate Yang's puns and her walking around in the room in her underwear and Blake's sarcasm and I have to deal with Ruby being childish-"

"Wei~iiss!"

"-and people know I'm a Schnee but they don't _care_ that I am and…" She wound down to take a deep breath, cheeks flushed and eyes shining.

Winter let her eyebrows slowly raise. "...and?"

"...and I have _real friends_ here. I _like_ it here," she repeated, "and I wouldn't trade it for the world. A few days ago, Blake told us that our dorm room feels like _home_ to her. And she's right. It feels like home in a way the manor never did."

Winter couldn't help but smile, and she pulled her sister into a gentle hug. "I understand, Weiss. I really do."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course I do. Why do you think I went on to become a Specialist instead of coming home after I graduated?"

"Oh. I guess that makes a great deal of sense, now."

"It's interesting what your first taste of real freedom does to you. Oh, the military life isn't exactly freedom itself, but I had the chance to make a choice between this or being part of the company. Like you just said; I wouldn't trade it for the world." She let go of Weiss, still smiling. "But we've been standing around for too long now. You are supposed to take me somewhere, yes?"

"Oh. Yes, yes we are. Come with us, and we'll show you to the headmaster's office?"

"Lead the way. Maybe while we walk you can tell me about what's kept you so busy these last few weeks?"

Winter watched the two girls exchange a glance. Weiss laughed awkwardly. "I… I'm actually not allowed to say, but I think I _can_ safely say that you'll find out when we get there."

"Wonderful. I do so love surprises."

* * *

Chrono could understand why Ozpin liked his office. The view _was_ spectacular; the CCTS tower was taller than the Ground Forces headquarters building in Cranagan. While Lindy and the headmasters made small talk waiting for their guests to arrive, he was doing a bit of paperwork.

 _Incident report? From Arf of all people. This should be interesting._ Chrono scanned through the holowindow, tilting his head after a moment. "Admiral? This incident report from Arf. Did you _make_ her write it?"

"I did, yes. Why do you ask?"

"It's dripping with so much sarcasm that I feel the need to wash my hands."

Lindy rolled her eyes, but smiled. "You might want to use some mouthwash, as well. It's getting into your voice."

"No, I think this is becoming run-of-the-mill for me." Chrono read through the report again, and opened the attached files; _student dossiers. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai._ _First incident noted… the day before classes started? Ah, the bookstore not-quite-heist. And Zafira noted that Mercury Black was showing 'dishonorable motives' when he requested to spar with Pyrrha Nikos._ Chrono was used to taking that kind of statement from the _Wolkenritter_ with a grain of salt; ever since being freed from the Book of Darkness, honor and conduct remained forefront in the minds of the four knights. They were compensating for who-knows-how-many years of forced evil, Chrono knew.

He tapped his chin, thinking for a moment. _And now this last item of business. Arf says they weren't participating in any of the sparring matches, and were paying too much attention to us in general and Fate in particular. Or more specifically, the fact that she was using a scythe._ There was only one other scythe wielder at Beacon, as far as he knew. "Headmaster Ozpin?"

"Yes, Mr. Harlaown?"

"Scythes are an exceptionally rare weapon on Remnant, yes?"

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "That is correct. They are generally considered deadlier to their _wielders_ than they are to their targets, to all but the highest level of skill."

"How many scythe wielders do you know of, Headmaster?"

"Three. Your sister, of course, as well as Ruby Rose, and the man who trained her."

 _It could just be a coincidence. Combat scythes are rare, so it might be impressive just to see one being used. But it's not my job to decide whether or it's a coincidence. It's my job to consider it related until proven otherwise._ Chrono tagged both dossiers with the ' _Person of Interest'_ flag _,_ and transmitted the files to Reinforce for safekeeping. "Is there any chance that I could interview him?"

"I believe that there is, yes." Ozpin rose from his desk, pacing sedately to the curve of glass behind it. He unlatched a catch and slid the window open. "And here's one of our guests now."

* * *

"Sir. Reporting as ordered." Winter snapped off a sharp salute as she stepped out of the elevator.

"At ease, Specialist. Have a seat." General Ironwood gestured toward the empty chair in front of Headmaster Ozpin's desk, then nodded behind her. "Ms. Schnee, Ms. Rose. If you could remain on hand?"

"Thank you, sir." Winter took the offered seat, greeting the other people in the room. "Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch." She nodded to young man and woman sitting in the other chairs, but her glance lingered on their unfamiliar clothing. _I know they were wearing Beacon uniforms last I saw. Those look like military uniforms._ "Hello."

"Hello!" The green haired woman was quite cheerful, in direct contrast to the enforced neutrality on the man's face.

A voice sounded behind her, dark and gravelly. "The hell is _she_ doing here, Oz?"

She twisted around, eyes fixing on the unshaven man leaning against a window. Without even thinking about it, she lurched back to her feet. "What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here-"

" _Eeeeeeeeeuncle Qrow!"_ She was interrupted by a red blur dashing across the room to tackle the scruffy vagrant; Ruby only succeeding at making him shift his weight to account for her hanging off one arm. "Hi!"

 _Uncle? Heavens help me, they're related?_

"Hey, kiddo. Are you in trouble? Is that why I'm here?" His rough voice was teasing, and her cheerful denials filled the room.

"Qrow is here at my specific request, Ms. Schnee. He is to be briefed on the same situation that you are." Headmaster Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, then nodded to Ironwood. "James, if you would?"

"Specialist Schnee. Everything you hear or see in this room is to be considered top-secret. It is not to be discussed with anyone who is not already informed. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir." _Just what is going on here?_ Winter made a point of glancing at Ruby and Weiss both, then back at General Ironwood.

"Your sister and her partner are already involved." General Ironwood handed her a datapad. "Please read this information report thoroughly. All information detailed in the report is one hundred percent accurate. Take your time; we'll wait."

Winter settled back into her chair, settling her eyes on the text of the report. She recognized the particulars of the layout immediately; General Ironwood himself had produced it. "When did you type this up, sir?"

"This morning, while you were speaking at the seminar. It's for your eyes only, Schnee."

"Understood."

The situational summary at the top of the report had Winter's eyes widening in disbelief. She reread it twice to make sure she didn't misinterpret it, but the words didn't change. _Alien refugees from other planets?_ "Sir? I know you told me this is accurate, but… Is this some kind of _joke?"_ Off to the side, she heard Qrow making similar, if much less polite comments.

"No. Keep reading, Schnee. We'll answer every question you have to your satisfaction when you're done."

There was nothing for her to do but read on. It took her ten minutes to finish the report, and she took it upon herself to read it again and commit everything she could to memory. _Aliens on Remnant. True magic used as technology. Travel between the stars._ She leaned forward to set the datapad on the headmaster's desk, half-expecting it to jump up and bite her when she let go.

Qrow spoke the words floating in her head, and even he sounded subdued. "...are we really supposed to _believe_ this, Oz?"

"You are, Qrow. I would like to introduce you properly to Admiral Lindy Harlaown and Captain Chrono Harlaown, Time Space Administrative Bureau Navy."

The green-haired woman student stood, offering a hand. "A pleasure to meet you both, Huntsman, Specialist." She turned to Winter, smiling. "I did enjoy your presentation, and I apologize for being the one to ask the hard questions."

Winter blinked, looking at her more closely. "You weren't testing me for the headmaster at all. You were testing me for yourself."

"I was indeed, and you passed with flying colors."

"General Ironwood's report stated that… physical proof would be available immediately upon finishing reading it?"

"Ah, yes. Just a moment." Admiral Harlaown took a step back, plucking a blue-and-white card out of her jacket's pocket. "Durandal, set up."

" _Yes, boss."_

The card flashed bright blue, and suddenly from nowhere the woman was holding a blunt, blue-and-white spear. Lindy held the weapon out to her, motioning for Winter to take it. "Please confirm that my Device is not an illusion."

To the side, Chrono was doing something similar, calling out a command to something called _S2U._ Once the flash faded, he offered the cylindrical-headed staff to Qrow.

Winter reached out tentatively, and grasped the shaft of the weapon. It felt like cool plastic in her hand, and it immediately parsed out a synthesized warning. " _Unidentified user detected. Access denied."_ The weapon flashed again, and she was left holding the card that the admiral had first revealed.

Admiral Harlaown smiled demurely, plucking the card from her fingers. "As soon as timing allows, we'll take you to the _Arthra's_ hangar and you can test one out for yourself. General Ironwood got to do the same thing."

Winter was left staring at her empty hand for a long, long moment. Finally, she turned, scanning across the room until she found a pair of eyes that matched her own. Her expression was a mix of apprehensive and optimistic, and Winter was suddenly struck by how much her little sister had grown since she left for Beacon. "I guess I see why you weren't allowed to talk about it, Weiss."

"You did say you love surprises."

* * *

"Are you sure that Ruby will be here today?"

"Of course she will! Her seminar's probably just running a little late. Here, have some fries." Yang Xiao Long smiled at her, and passed her plate over.

"Oh! No, thank you! I am not hungry right now."

"Really? You didn't eat at the party either."

"Oh, that's because I was having _so much fun_ that I didn't even stop to think about it! But don't worry, I ate when I got home. _Hic!"_

"Well, fine. If you're sure."

Penny smiled at the blonde, nodding. "I am! Thank you again." While Yang took back her plate of fries, Penny closed her eyes and let the _air-propagated mechanical pressure waves_ of Beacon's cafeteria-goers register in her aural receptors.

After a moment, she noticed a shift in the sound waves, and realized some of the students were going silent. Penny turned and looked over her shoulder.

Blake Belladonna- _Faunus, feline subcategory, phenotype variation: feline ears-_ was approaching the table, in the school's uniform and bow perched perfectly atop her head. A small portion of the students that she passed were pausing in their conversations to watch her pass. Penny wondered why, and ran a comparison to the video files she had in storage of the black-haired girl.

Three seconds later, she was able to determine a probable cause. Blake's posture was different than before; slightly more upright, shoulders back naturally instead of caving forward ever-so-slightly. Her expression was less tightly controlled as well, and Penny watched the muscles in her face twitch as her lips spread into a smile on seeing Yang.

Penny waited politely while Yang and Blake- _etiquette protocols dictate that I wait until they have already exchanged pleasantries-_ greeted each other before she waved. "Hello, friend Blake! It is good to see you!"

"Hello, Penny. How are you?"

"I am doing _wonderfully!_ How are you? You seem to be in a wonderful mood as well!"

Blake rocked back for a moment- _facial expression indicates high likelihood of surprise-_ and paused, then blinked. "I… you're right. I am in a good mood. I didn't even think about it."

Yang laughed, wrapping an arm around Blake's shoulders and squeezing. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is." Blake sat down, a small smile still in place. "Where are Ruby and Weiss?"

"Yang said that their seminar course is probably running late. Now that I think about it, Veteran Specialist Winter Schnee was scheduled to speak today."

"Wait, Winter Schnee?" Blake looked at her in surprise. "Weiss' sister?"

 _Dossier: Winter Schnee, nonclassified information._ Penny refreshed herself on the data available, and nodded. "According to what I have been told, yes!"

"Well that explains- ah! There they are!" Yang stood up, waving. "Weiss, Ruby! Guess who's here!"

"Penny!" Penny turned to see Ruby speeding toward her, shedding rose petals in her wake as her feet pounded the cafeteria floor. Grid-lines overlaid her vision, and the petite girl's trajectory and estimate time of impact were immediately apparent. _Platform motive speed unable to effectively counter impact time. Reset/Brace._ Penny's left foot shot back, planting solidly on the floor just as Ruby glomped onto her, squeeing. "You'rehere, you'rehere!"

Penny wrapped her arms around Ruby, hugging back. "Hello, friend Ruby! It's wonderful to see you again!"

"General Ironwood let you come to Beacon! I wasn't sure that he was going to, but last night he said he'd think about it, and he did!"

"The general told me that after seeing me interact with everyone at your party, he decided it would be good for me to interact with people more!" Penny shifted to let Ruby plop down on the bench. "Also, he told me to tell you that my safety is now your responsibility while I'm here!"

"Wait what?" Ruby blinked, her expression fading to confusion and worry.

"He was smiling when he said it. I think he meant it to tease you." Penny made certain to record the look on Ruby's face. The general would want to see that his joke hit the mark.

"Ooooh, that's mean!" Ruby crossed her arms, huffing. "And I was nice to him at the party and everything!"

"Well, he _did_ let me come to Beacon."

Ruby was trying to stay mad. It was obvious. It also didn't last long, and her frown melted away into a smile. "Yeah, you're right. Oh, everybody! I'm gonna be heading out to Vale after we finish classes today!

"What's going on, sis?" Yang slurped from her soda, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, after the party ended last night I was talking to Sentra and asked her if she'd be able to get permission to meet for coffee and talk about how everything went so I know how to do it better the next time. Lindy just told me that it's fine, as long as we're careful!"

"She's the chick with the black hair, right?"

"Yeah, her!"

"Well that sounds fun. Tell us how it goes, will ya?"

"Yeah!" Ruby paused for a moment, then looked at Penny. "You want to come with me?"

"Do I?" Penny tilted her head, smiling-

 _BROADCAST: 3.80 GHz - encryption scheme DOLLHOUSE_

 _RECEIVE SIGNAL: 3.80 GHz - encryption scheme COLDSTEEL_

 _OUTmessage - RZ? Would it be a problem if I accompanied Ruby to meet Sentra today?_

 _INmessage - Of course not! I'll let Sentra know to expect you!_

 _OUTmessage - Stupendous!_

-at Ruby and nodding. "That'd be _sensational!"_

Weiss Schnee joined them at the table after a moment longer, setting her tray down. Penny smiled at her. "Hello, Weiss! How is your sister?"

"She's doing well, thank you for asking. By the way, everyone. Headmaster Ozpin wants us all to see him in his office between our next classes. He said he'll be contacting Team JNPR as well."

Blake raised her eyebrows. "Any idea what for?"

"He didn't say."

* * *

It had been some time since the four of them had been in the same room. Ozpin was facing away, watching the tiny dots milling about Beacon's campus far below. Qrow leaned back against the window, enjoying his usual spot. "I gotta say, Oz, for a while there I thought you'd forgotten where the send button was. And then getting called out of deep cover like that? Didn't like that either. Gonna be really hard to get back in place again without a _really_ good excuse."

"But you understand why I did, I hope."

"Yeah. This changes a hell of a lot." For once Qrow left his flask in his pocket. While comforting, the buzz of alcohol would _not_ help his thoughts at the moment. "How much do they know?"

"About the Maidens? Nothing. That's what this meeting is about."

"You're thinking about telling them? It's one of the biggest secrets on Remnant, and you're thinking about just _spilling it_ to a bunch of space aliens?"

Ozpin turned away from the window, pacing back to his desk. "I am, Qrow. Glynda, James, and I have already discussed it, but the decision needs to be unanimous."

Qrow crossed his arms, feeling skepticism paint itself on his face. "Okay, if you're so sure about this; convince me it's the right idea."

Glynda spoke up. "They might be able to help Autumn, Qrow."

"Help her? Better than James' soul-stealer, I hope."

To James' credit, he had the grace to look a little pained. "We all know that the Aura transfer machine is a last resort. I'm entirely in support of a better option if one presents itself."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Ozpin eased down into his chair. "The TSAB has _scientific understanding_ of their magic, Qrow. And they have determined, without a doubt, that Aura stems from the same source as their magic; a metaphysical organ called a _Linker Core."_

"I can attest to this personally. Admiral Harlaown let me use one of their devices, Qrow. I was able to call forth blasts of pure magic with it, from my own personal energies." James spread his hands wide. "It's… hard to describe. But very, very real. I'm also sure that you'd be able to do the same thing, if you wanted to try it for yourself."

Qrow hung his head for a moment, thinking. "...okay. Okay, so let's say that I believe you, and since all three of you are looking at me like that I'll go ahead and say that I do. How does this help Amber? She got an arrow put through her back and half her _soul_ sucked out through her face. She's in a _coma_ in James' _freezer_ downstairs."

"Two of their number are _healers,"_ Glynda offered, "and by healers I mean they can use magical spells to heal terrible wounds. The physical trauma to Amber's body can be fixed. Secondly, one of them is a… a _Linker Core_ specialist. She has more practical experience in dealing with the inner workings of… what very well may be the _soul,_ than you or I have been alive."

"So you're saying that this... ' _wizardess'_ might be able to put Amber back together again?" He raised his head, glancing at the three of them. His hand slowly slipped into his jacket, tugging his flask free of its pocket.

One by one, they nodded. "...shit. You're all serious." His fingers loosened, and the flask slid back into place. "What the hell, it's worth a shot. Better than shoving what's left of her power into some poor volunteer."

* * *

Teams RWBY and JNPR were gathered together, sitting in a group underneath the spinning gears that formed the ceiling of Headmaster Ozpin's office. Professor Goodwitch had actually served them tea and coffee, and a few plates of biscuits and pastries to be shared between them. Once they settled in, she took position to the side of the headmaster's desk, reading something on her scroll.

For a few minutes, the two teams bantered back and forth with each other, talking freely of the last few weeks' events. After, of course, Ruby had made certain to confirm that the office was secure; an act that put a small-but-approving smile on the deputy headmaster's lips.

When the elevator door opened and Headmaster Ozpin stepped through, though, all conversation stopped, and the eight students straightened in their chairs. "Now, now, students. No need to stand on ceremony, you were doing a wonderful job of relaxing."

Assured by his words, the collected students did relax to various degrees. Weiss kept her back straight, though, and supported the saucer for her cup of tea in one hand while she sipped from the cup itself.

The headmaster took his seat behind his desk, nodding to them. "You may all be wondering exactly why I called you up here, yes?"

"That is one of the questions that's run through my mind, yeah." Jaune hunched his shoulders self-consciously when everyone turned to look at him. "What? It is!"

"Quite. First, Professor Goodwitch has a few words for you all." He nodded to her.

"Students. As you were made aware, I would be keeping track of your actions during the entirety of this situation and grading you on your performance. So far, you are all receiving full marks for the efforts you have put into both maintaining secrecy and with helping our TSAB friends adapt."

Ruby raised her hand. "Uhm. Ma'am? Didn't you tell me when we first found the _Arthra_ that, uh… ceding field command to you would have an effect on my grade? Didn't I… lose points?"

Weiss frowned, remembering that short exchange. Professor Goodwitch, however, smiled. "I did say that it would affect your grade, yes. I did not, however, say that the effect would be _negative._ Recognizing when you are in over your head is an important ability, Ms. Rose, and you showed good judgment when it was needed."

"Oh!" Ruby blushed at the praise and ducked her head shyly, but Weiss felt her smile warm the room.

"Please understand, students, that as of now this operation, and therefore your participation in it, is ongoing with no immediately foreseeable end. But, I am pleased to tell you that you are all performing at a standard equal to that of full huntsman and huntresses. With that in mind, the marks and grades you are receiving are being applied to upper-level courses that you would normally be taking two or three years from now. To put it simply, you are all receiving credits toward graduation for your efforts."

Weiss blinked. To both sides, she could hear her friends murmuring to each other, their voices echoing the surprise she felt. Ruby let out a little cheer, which had Weiss rolling her eyes but smiling even as she shook her head.

Headmaster Ozpin's voice, relaxed though it was, cut through the growing conversation like a knife. "To speak on the subject of your performance; as Professor Goodwitch said, you are functioning at a level that would be expected of graduate huntsmen and huntresses. Because of this, we have made the decision to compensate you as though you have been formally contracted by Beacon to serve in such a manner."

 _Clink._ Weiss' cup clicked down onto its saucer, nearly forgotten. She stared at the headmaster, not certain she believed her ears. _Formally contracted?_

"The work you have been doing for us is not something that should be rightly expected of simple students." Headmaster Ozpin nodded, and Professor Goodwitch produced a folder. She opened it, and from within it handed each one of them a neatly printed sheet of paper. Weiss' hand almost trembled as she took it, until she forced it still through sheer determination.

It was fairly standard legalese, if less convoluted than some of the documents her father had tested her on. _Expected duties line up with everything we've been doing, acknowledgement of extenuating circumstances, secrecy and clearance, duration of duty listed as ongoing. Overtime, shift differential, and hazard pay?_

"Pyrrha? I'm not the best at reading this kind of stuff, is it… er…" Jaune's voice was a little tremulous, and Pyrrha's cheeks darkened when he leaned in closer and put her on the spot. But then Ren and Nora both joined the huddle, looking for guidance as well.

While she obviously would never have signed any contracts for huntress work, Pyrrha wouldn't be a complete stranger to the concept. _Pumpkin Pete's_ manufacturer would have had to enter into some form of proper contract to be able to use her appearance for their advertising, after all.

Weiss caught her eye, perking an ivory eyebrow. Pyrrha nodded slowly, and Weiss returned the motion with confidence. The redhead spoke quietly to her teammates. Weiss turned back to her team. "This is fully legitimate, everyone. The headmaster wants to pay us, officially. Full wages, as though we were already graduated."

"Indeed, Ms. Schnee. I have taken the liberty of opening bank accounts in each of your names, into which your pay is being deposited." He paused to sip his coffee, a small grin gracing his features. "Backdated, of course. Team RWBY, your date of contract is listed as the day the _Arthra_ crash landed, and you assisted Professor Goodwitch in relief operations. Team JNPR, your date of contract is listed as the morning after your attempt to infiltrate the _Arthra's_ hangar."

Weiss glanced over the contract again and ran the numbers, and she felt her jaw slacken the slightest bit. She actually had to set her tea down for fear of dropping it. Blake's eyes widened a moment later, followed by Yang's disbelieving laugh. Ruby's brow was scrunched up, her eyes still staring at the page as if begging the numbers to just reveal themselves to her.

Weiss gave her head a shake, then leaned over and murmured the amount in Ruby's ear. Her partner sat bolt upright, letting out a squeak. "T-that much?!"

"Overtime, shift differential, _and_ hazard pay, Ruby. We've been on the clock twenty-four seven for almost a month now. That comes out to over a thousand hours of paid time."

"Students." The headmaster sipped his coffee again, obviously enjoying their reactions. "I do find it necessary to remind you that part of maintaining secrecy will involve _not_ suddenly being rich. I will not stop you from making a few small purchases with your newly received funds, but I will urge you to be circumspect. That, and as an individual responsible for preparing you for your eventual graduation, I would be remiss if I did not mention the value of… savings and investment."

Something the Headmaster had said earlier clicked in Weiss' head. ' _I have taken the liberty of opening bank accounts in each of your names.' He isn't just… paying me. He's paying me in such a way that my father won't be able to take it away. He's given me my freedom._ She rose to her feet on shaking legs and bowed to him, forcing her voice to be as steady as possible and knowing that her emotions were bleeding through anyways. "Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin, for your consideration. I truly appreciate what you've given me; what you've given all of us."

"You are quite welcome, Ms. Schnee. But please, I have not _given_ you anything. I am simply compensating you for your hard work. You have, after all, earned it."

* * *

 _The things I do._ Torchwick rubbed his eyes, careful to not overly jostle the spun-glass illusion of black bangs over his forehead. Neo skipped along beside him, her short, yellow 'hair' bouncing with each exaggerated step she took.

She wanted coffee before they went back to the safehouse. ' _Why not ice cream?'_ he'd countered, ' _You love ice cream.'_ But she'd stamped her foot and scrunched up her face and gave him that pout and he'd relented. "You're gonna stunt any growth you have left from all this caffeine, you know." He deftly interposed _Melodic Cudgel_ in the way of her boot, keeping it from impacting his shin. "Hey now, who's paying for this? I thought so."

She blew a raspberry at him, flouncing ahead toward the cafe. She liked the one that was close to Beacon, where all the trainees visited during the afternoons. Torchwick didn't spend too much time wondering why, but he supposed it had to do with the girl in her. Neo took quite well to the lifestyle they had, but every so often he could see bits and pieces of _could-have-been_ in her. Never the infatuation with ice cream, or the fruity cocktails, or her ability to dance around blood with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.

No, it was more the lingering and furtive glances.

The little things she thought he never noticed.

The coffee house where trainee huntresses liked to spend their time.


	22. Chapter 21

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 21 - Facts in Fiction

 _Well, it is pretty beautiful outside. If there ever was a day to sit outside and enjoy some coffee, it's today._ Torchwick spun _Melodic Cudgel_ in his hand, whistling absently while he followed behind Neo's skipping steps, rounding the corner at the end of the block.

"Whoa!" He windmilled his arms, grabbing the side of the building just in time to keep himself from bowling the diminutive girl over. She'd stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk. "What's wrong? Did you suddenly realize that blonde isn't your color? 'Cause I told you that already." She didn't respond, and Torchwick slid around her to look at her face.

A flicker of her real eye color showed through the bright blue of her current illusion. _White as snow._ Torchwick followed her gaze toward the cafe, searching the crowd of people.

"...is that," his voice dropped to a low mutter, just enough for her to hear. " _Red?"_ Sure enough, it _was_ her. She was sitting with a black-haired woman and- _hot damn, it's her, too!-_ the ginger-haired girl that had laid absolute waste to his operation at the docks, months ago. "Since when did you know Little Red?"

Neo shook her head, making a minimal nod toward the older woman. Torchwick felt his eyes widen. "Wait, that's _her?_ _That's_ High Yield?" Another nod.

Torchwick thought for a long moment, making certain that he was visibly nonchalant as he leaned against the building wall, not looking anywhere near the three. Neo followed suit, facing him. For all the world, they just looked like two people out of hundreds.

 _Okay. We're in public. Dozens and dozens of people around. Plenty of witnesses, plenty of collateral. I know for a fact that Little Red thinks herself a hero, so she'd just as likely try to stop the woman if she tried anything. We're both unrecogniz-_ He stopped, glancing down. _Melodic Cudgel_ was wrapped in an illusion as well, looking like a simple, unadorned cane. Neo's parasol was similarly altered, showing sheer panels of green and blue instead of white and pink lace. _...yeah. We're both unrecognizable._ "Well. The line's not getting any shorter. Let's get our coffee."

Her eyes snapped up toward him. "Oh, don't give me that look. There's nothing to it. We want coffee, we get coffee. We grab some books- do you have any books?" Neo nodded slowly, producing a fashion magazine and the latest edition of _Vytal Tournament!_ "Great. I wanted to get a look at the latest line of _Schnee Dust Apparel_. We take our magazines, we sit down, we read, we enjoy our coffee, and we _listen._ No risks, but a chance of reward."

Neo thought about it for a moment longer, then nodded and held up the tournament magazine. Torchwick reached past it and snatched the fashion magazine from her other hand, cracking a grin. "I _was_ serious, you know."

Standing in line was Torchwick's first chance to get a good look at the black-haired woman. She'd featured prominently in Neo's descriptions and worries after her blown infiltration, and the very idea of her insanely destructive powers had led Torchwick to label her _High Yield._

 _She certainly looks the part,_ he thought. She had a splendidly athletic, strong figure; a broad chest and shoulders supported muscular arms put on full display by a tight black tank top that disappeared into khaki cargo pants, which were tucked into heavy combat boots. Her short, black hair fell in layered bangs around a sharp-featured face, with eyes that were a bright, clear gold that made him think of that damned _cat_ that had held him at sword-point a few months back. _I wonder if they're related… naaaah._

Her bearing was military. Even relaxed in her chair, there was an alertness to her that kept Torchwick from watching her for any length of time. He'd seen the type before; violence was on a toggle in the back of their minds, just waiting to be flipped.

He let himself look away naturally, putting his back to her just as she started to glance in his direction. Luckily, the tall, willowy barista was just turning to take his order. "Let's see here. Let me have a…."

* * *

"I still can't believe everything went so well!" Ruby rocked side-to-side in her chair, tapping a rhythm on the floor with her feet even while she took a bite from her second cookie.

"It was very thoughtful of you to put the event together for us, Ruby. Everyone is still talking about it." Sentra took a sip of her coffee, relishing the fresh taste. They'd been subsisting on the _Arthra's_ stores for weeks now, and the ship ration coffee didn't hold a candle to the real thing. "They will probably be talking about it for weeks."

Ruby nodded. "I'd love to put another one together for you all, and this time it can be even better! Last night was kind of… uh. It was spur of the moment."

Sentra raised her eyebrows. "Spur of the moment?"

"Yeah, uhm. I kinda had the idea around lunch the day before?"

"Bullshit." Sentra laughed, then laughed harder when she saw the look on Ruby's face. "Oh my, you are serious! You did all that in a day? The food, the music, everything?"

"Well, I didn't do it alone... my team and Team JNPR helped out a ton. Weiss took over managing all the details after I told her what I wanted to do, and Yang and Nora did all the heavy lifting to get things over to the-" Ruby caught herself, clearing her throat. "-over to your place, and everyone else helped out in the kitchens to get the food ready, and it all just came together."

 _She's trying so hard to maintain OpSec. If it wasn't such a serious matter I'd think it's adorable… scratch that, it's adorable anyways._ Sentra smiled. "Well, as I said. We all appreciated it very much."

Her friend piped up, smiling as well. "I'm glad I got to meet RZ in person! We both had a wonderful time!"

Penny was an interesting case. Sergeant Yagami had informed them of her particulars, specifically so that they were aware of possible complications and could cover for her. While paying specific attention to the android girl, Sentra could notice the little signs that showed her synthetic nature. _I wouldn't notice if I didn't already know what to look for, though. She's impressively human in the way she interacts._

"So, what are classes like at Beacon, Ruby? I have heard stories, but I would like to hear from you."

"They're pretty hard, really. I, uhm, I kinda got… graduated early from Signal and bumped ahead two years, so a lot of the academics are still really difficult for me. But I do my best, and Weiss helps me study, and-" She cut off when one of the baristas approached the table. "Oh, hi, Kasta!"

"Hello, Ruby. Here's that order you were waiting for." The tall faunus girl set a tray of pastries on their table, along with a small stack of napkins.

"But I didn't order anything el-"

"But you were going to. You always do, after all." Kasta smiled, but it looked a little forced. "I'll bring you your bill in a minute, okay?"

Ruby blinked, but nodded. "Okay. Thank you!" She grabbed one of the new pastries while the barista walked away, taking a bite out of it a little self-consciously. Her eyes dipped down toward the table.

Sentra saw her go still for a moment. "Ruby? Are you okay?"

"W-what? Yeah, I'm okay!" The girl started to look up, but then stopped herself. "I shouldn't eat all these on my own. Here!" She grabbed the napkin on top of the stack, using it to scoop up another pastry and offer it to Sentra. "They're _delicious,_ but a little gooey. Make sure you wipe your hands! Do you need _another_ napkin?"

Something was off, and it put Sentra on edge. She took the pastry, setting it down on her own plate, and then she noticed the words scrawled hastily across the napkin.

It was written in Valean script, which the _Arthra's_ crew had been putting a lot of time into studying. Of all the Remnant dialects, it most closely resembled classical Al Hazredian. ' _You are being observed. Table by the door.'_

Her back was too the door, and it took all of Sentra's willpower to not immediately turn and look in that direction. Chrono's old lessons on surveillance sounded in her mind. _If you're being watched, don't give any signs that you're aware. Keep acting natural and call for backup._

 _Rosen_ was hanging around her neck, but she couldn't so much as speak to the device to have it send a message for her without giving anything away, and the techs still hadn't managed to get standard telepathy signals through Remnant's interference. _Think, think!_ To stall for time and keep up the act, she took a bite out of the pastry. "This is good. Thank you, Ruby."

Penny was watching them both, blinking. _That's it!_ "Penny. The next chance you get to talk to RZ, could you please recommend this cafe to her? The sooner the better; I'm sure she will _love_ it."

For a moment the android girl just stared at her confused, but then her eyes seemed to clear. "Of course I can, Sentra! Knowing her, she'll drop everything for the chance to try one, if they are as good as you and Ruby say! Should I tell her to bring her friends?"

"Mm. I am sure they will enjoy this establishment as well."

Ruby took a sip of her coffee to wash down the rest of her snack. She coughed a little to clear her throat. "It's starting to get a little late, isn't it? Should we head back, or do you think we still have some time to wait?"

Penny tilted her head, as if considering. "I believe we can wait for ten minutes or so before we leave! It's so nice out, I don't want to go back to Beacon just yet."

 _Ten minutes for backup to arrive._ Sentra risked a glance out the window; the area was still packed with noncombatants- _Well… not exactly noncombatants. There are a lot of students from the academy here._ On one hand, that meant it was very unlikely that someone would try to attack them. But on the other hand, it meant that they were just as handicapped. _Can't throw up a barrier because of witnesses. Hell._

Ruby and Penny started talking about some of the other students; inane, simple banter only meant to distract, and Sentra made questioning noises at appropriate times. She tried to find something reflective to look at, something that would give her a view of the other side of the room. But the lighting was off and the angles were all bad. There was nothing she could do but wait it out.

Six tense minutes later, there was a high-pitched screech of tires on pavement outside. Everyone in the cafe turned to look, so Sentra didn't feel any qualms about doing the same herself.

There was a yellow and black _monster_ of a motorcycle parked on the street outside, smoke still wafting off its wide tires. Then the cafe's double doors were thrown wide, the afternoon sun silhouetting the blonde's figure in fire and gold. "Ladies and gentlemen, you may take it easy- your prayers have been answered and I have arrived!"

Sentra stared blankly. _The fuck happened to covert?_

From the counter, the faunus barista- _Kasta, Ruby called her-_ waved cheerfully. "Hi, Yang! Hi, Blake! Your order's ready!" The girl set a _huge_ cup onto the counter, then cleared her throat. "One triple-chocolate meltdown caramel frappe-cappuccino with dark fudge drizzle and extra mint shavings just under boiling and sweet enough to send a diabetic into sugar shock, also known as the Minty Midnight!" A small, white ceramic mug joined the massive drink. "And a mug of jasmine tea."

As the yellow and black duo made their way to the counter, people around the room were settling back into their seats, conversation and chatter starting back up as if this was a normal occurrence. _...gods above, it_ is _a normal occurrence. She's done this before._

Ruby hopped up and ran over to give Yang a hug, and while she was away Sentra and Penny grabbed two more chairs and rearranged the seats to let Yang and Blake sit with them. When Sentra sat back down, she had a much better view of the door and the tables beside it. One held a trio of girls that were talking with each other in hushed tones, who were tossing envious glares at Yang's voluminous fall of golden locks. Seated at the other was a tall, thin black-haired man with a fedora who was flipping interestedly through a fashion magazine, and a tiny slip of a girl with a mop of curly blonde hair. She had a bored look on her face despite the magazine in one hand, and her other kept turning the handle on a green and blue umbrella-

Sentra couldn't stop the _jerk_ of her back as the realization sent a shock through her, and the sudden motion caught the little girl's eye. Crystal blue orbs twitched over to meet hers, and they locked gazes.

For the briefest, most delicious instant, Sentra could see fear written plain on the girl's face.

* * *

" _Mr. Xerxes. I apologize for the delay in contacting you, but things have been busy."_

"It's no problem, Headmaster. You are running an academy, after all. Besides, you did say within the week."

" _Quite. I do have news for you that you will be interested in hearing."_

"Good news, I hope?" Richard didn't quite hold his breath, but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit he was anxious.

" _Headmaster Ironwood of Atlas Academy has agreed to provide political support for your efforts abroad, and in his position as an Atlesian general, logistical support pending oversight for your efforts in Atlas proper. I have agreed with his position, and am willing to provide said support within Vale's borders."_

"That's very good news, Headmaster Ozpin."

" _It is. I have spoken with the headmasters of Shade and Haven Academies, as well. They are still in deliberations with their own advisors, but I am optimistic. I believe that they will soon come to similar conclusions as Headmaster Ironwood and I have."_

Richard couldn't let himself cheer, but the feeling of pure relief sweeping through him had him wanting to. "If there is anything that Bastion can do, please let me know."

" _Of course. Mutual cooperation is a two-way street, after all. There is one thing that you can do for us at the moment."_

"What would that be?"

" _I believe it would be advantageous for both of us if you were to assign one of your number to Beacon Academy permanently, in the position of Bastion's ambassador to the academies. Someone of whom I can speak to of… smaller matters, who could then compile such issues for your more efficient perusal. Would this be acceptable?"_

"More than acceptable, Headmaster. Give me a few days to determine who to send over?"

" _I already have a particular individual in mind, actually."_

* * *

 _Well this is a fine kettle of fish,_ Torchwick thought. The woman was looking at them, and Neo had given it away.

Not that he could actually blame her, when he really thought about it. He'd have flinched a little too if a woman who fit the role of living artillery had focused on him after already trying to blast him into ash once before. On top of that, two more of Red's friends had shown up…

 _That can't be a coincidence._ Ridiculous order notwithstanding, somehow Red had gotten a message out, and for the pair of girls to show up that fast… _shit. We'd been made almost as soon as we sat down._

 _Ah well. Cover's blown, but we're in public. If Red's willing to be friends with High Yield there…_ Red was a good kid, Torchwick knew, which meant that if the woman wanted to stay in her good graces... It was a perfect stand-off, in a way. There's no chance that the woman would try to blast them with a bunch of innocents around. Torchwick nudged Neo with his foot, motioning to her coffee. "You gonna finish that, squirt?"

She started guiltily, then gave him a glare before scooping her drink up. Torchwick perked an eyebrow, shrugging. _Just relax._ She seemed to get the message, at least.

Torchwick took the moment to think, leaning back in his chair. He even polished up a grin and tossed it toward Red's table. The woman shifted her glare to him, while both Red and the kitty cat looked a little confused. _Damn, they really could be sisters. Take the cat, add ten years and a hell of a workout routine._ He raised his own cup in mock salute.

It also gave him more time to ponder, and he was coming to the conclusion that they _did_ need to leave. More backup was surely on the way… but there was one other thing he was considering. _Red wouldn't play with the bad guys; I should know. Which means that Big Sister is a good guy. Living battleship-class artillery, but a good guy… and Neo said that there were at least seven more of them in that hangar…_

Torchwick nudged Neo's foot again, two taps in rapid succession. _Time to go._ She slurped down the last of her drink, and Torchwick slipped a hand into his pocket while giving her the three seconds needed to solidify the illusion. As they stood, he swept up his cane and followed her to the door, not bothering to look back.

In his line of work, it paid to keep an eye out for new options.

He counted off in his head as they turned the corner, and right on time there was the faintest sound of glass shattering and a shout of frustration.

* * *

"Emerald Sustrai."

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch?"

"You haven't participated in any of the one-on-one sparring matches. Please choose an opponent."

 _Fuck. I wouldn't even be here if Cinder didn't want us to keep gathering info._ Emerald didn't let herself hesitate to stand, though, and she swept her gaze across the ranks of student sitting in the bleachers around her. Several dozen students were participating in the nightly practice sessions, and she tried to decide who would be the best option for _getting out of the spotlight._

Team CRDL was off to one side, laughing and joking with each other. _Too easy. Nikos didn't even have to try to take them apart, and I wouldn't have to either._

Some of the Mistral and Haven teams were present as well, and while there were some options, she could feel a dozen pairs of eyes staring hard at her. The three refugee teams were paying particular attention, and several of them looked like they were _itching_ for the chance. She glanced down at Mercury.

He just shrugged, not even showing a hint of care. _Fuck you too, Merc._ There was only one way out. "I have no preference ma'am. I'll fight a random opponent?"

"That will be fine. One moment." Goodwitch tapped at her scroll, and the large display started flashing rapidly through various students.

Mercury's expression clouded a little, but he didn't say anything.

The display stopped, showing the image of an unassuming young man with glasses. _Ugh. Him._

"Yuuno Scrya," the professor said. "Do you accept this challenge?"

A subsonic rumble shook Emerald's guts, and she glanced apprehensively toward the source. The damned wolf faunus woman was glaring daggers at her, and Emerald caught the hint of fangs past the snarl of her curled lips. _Shit._

"Yes, Professor." The blonde stood, making certain that his hair was properly tied back before making his way toward the floor. On passing the orange-haired woman, he patted her shoulder in a subdued but soothing gesture, and the growling subsided.

Emerald took her place in the center of the ring, while the blonde stood beside her. It was the first _real_ chance she'd gotten to actually get a good look at him, and she found herself a little surprised. He looked like a bookworm, no arguments there; the glasses certainly didn't help his image. But underneath his green-and-brown themed clothes and jacket, she could see that his whipcord thin frame was wiry and capable, and he exuded a calm confidence that was at complete odds with his mousy exterior.

He also wasn't carrying a single thing, not even a limb-mounted weapon like Mercury's ankle-guns. He centered himself, facing her and sketching a short, polite bow. Emerald blinked for a moment, confused, before settling back out of her ready posture and returning the gesture.

Professor Goodwitch stepped back out of the arena ring. "Are you both ready?" They both nodded, and Emerald resumed her stance. Scrya did the same, angling one foot back and bringing his hands up in loose fists. "Then begin."

Emerald flipped her guns up and started firing, single bullets one after the other, to get a handle on his style. He dodged every one in smooth, connected motions, flowing from one movement to the next so that hardly any of his energy was wasted. It didn't take long for Emerald to figure out that sluicing bullets from range would get her nowhere against him, so she shifted her guns to their sickle forms and closed in.

Scrya showed just as much agility in close range as he did at range, but she forced him to start parrying her attacks instead of just dodging. The flats of his palms impacted her wrists and grips with each swing, sweeping aside her blades with just enough space to miss him by inches each time. Suddenly he ducked low, stomping the ground hard enough to crack it and driving an open palm into Emerald's chest.

She felt her aura flare in response and stumbled back, tucking into a roll and coming up with blades ready, but he didn't give chase. Emerald rolled her shoulders, noting that the thirty-second exchange had him breathing in calm, even breaths, but a little harder than before. She spun her weapons and swung, shooting the blades out on their chains and assaulting him from both sides.

The move caught him by surprise, and while he managed to jump over the low blade, the high one caught him in the flank and knocked him aside. Emerald gave him the chance to stand, acknowledging that he'd done the same favor for her moments ago, then dove back in when he was ready. Her next pair of swings _bounced_ off his warding hands, and she could see circular planes of raw aura fading from the air beyond his palms. _Well that's something._

 _Time to step up my game._ She pressed him, ramping up her attacks harder and faster, and he rose to the challenge. Sickle-blades, both chained and gripped, were parried away by flat panes of green force, and Emerald couldn't help but feel like they weren't fighting anymore so much as _dancing;_ every move leading into the next, attack and response becoming a seamless flow. She felt her lips twitching, curving upward in a smile despite her lungs working for-

"Time!" Emerald yanked her weapon back, the chained blade retracting an instant before crashing into the young man's unyielding barriers. They both took a step back, blinking, and looked up at the display. Five full minutes had passed on the clock, five minutes of time where neither of them had landed a single serious blow.

Professor Goodwitch nodded to them both. "Match called by time. Emerald Sustrai is the winner by Aura percentage, seventy-four percent to Yuuno Scrya's sixty-eight."

Emerald spun her blades, collapsing them and slinging them into her holsters. Scrya was catching his breath, but he straightened up to offer her his hand.

She stared at it like it was fanged for a moment, before wiping her palm on her pants and taking his hand in hers. They shook once, and scattered applause broke out in the stands. "Good match, Scrya."

"Good match, Sustrai."

* * *

The elevator up to Headmaster Ozpin's office was as smooth and fast as ever, Blake thought, but it was a little cramped with five people standing it it. It also didn't help that Yang was bouncing up and down nearly half a foot into the air, jittery from her weekly overdose of ultra-sweetened caffeine. "Yang, would you hold still?"

"Hold still? I _am_ holding still you should see me when I _move."_

Weiss was relaxed and sedate, obviously happy from spending the afternoon with her older sister. Ruby looked a little concerned, though, which Blake knew was because of the people that had _disappeared_ from the coffee shop. Sentra had said she'd file the report, but it was still galling to have been right there.

Kasta Kazella was standing in the center of the elevator, anxiously watching the numbers tick higher and higher. All any of them knew is that she'd gotten a call in the cafe, and at the same time they'd all received a message from the headmaster asking them to please escort the faunus woman to his office for an interview.

The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. Headmaster Ozpin was standing at the far curve of window, watching the sunset. He turned, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk with a smile. "Ah, Ms. Kazella. Take a seat, please. Team RWBY, please, make yourselves at home."

"U-uh. Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin." The faunus woman did as asked, while Blake and the others gathered off to the side.

"I do hope your trip was a little less… uncomfortable than the last one?"

"W-what? Oh, yes, uhm. It was fine, thank you."

"Good. I assume that Mr. Xerxes contacted you, yes?"

"He told me you wanted to see me today, but he didn't say… why?"

The headmaster smiled, taking his own seat. "Ah. It seems that Mr. Xerxes enjoys a good, harmless trick as much as I do."

Blake couldn't help but roll her eyes, and she saw Weiss mirroring the motion. "Your sister?"

Her teammate nodded. "My sister."

"Anyways. I'm sure you're wondering why we've brought you here, yes?"

"I… yes?"

"Then I will keep this brief. I have requested of Mr. Xerxes that a member of his organization, Bastion, be assigned to Beacon Academy in the role of permanent ambassador. I would like you to fill this position, Ms. Kazella."

Blake exchanged a glance with her teammates, raising her eyebrows. In her seat, Kasta looked flabbergasted. "W-what? Me?! I don't know the first thing about being an ambassador! I'm a- I'm a _barista!_ I majored in _finance!"_

"Wait, what? You studied _finance?!"_ Weiss took a few steps forward, her voice loud and high.

"Y-yes? I graduated from Vale Central University last year with high honors, but… no one's been willing to hire…"

Weiss' expression soured from surprised to outraged. "Well you're hired now."

"E-excuse me?"

Headmaster Ozpin had gone silent, an amused expression gracing his features.

"You studied finance. My team and I need a financial specialist due to… trust funds in our names that have matured. I'm hiring you to take care of our further investments, _if_ you're willing to take the job."

"B-but… you're… you're a _Schnee,_ aren't you?"

Weiss went red in the face. "So what if I am! Are you trying to tell me you're not qualified?!"

"N-no! I can show you my transcript right now!"

"Then there's nothing to argue about. I'll work up a contract with you tonight, after you finish speaking with the headmaster." Weiss blinked, then seemed to pale a little when she realized she'd just _interrupted_ their meeting. "...I… apologize for my intrusion, Headmaster. I spoke out of place."

Headmaster Ozpin chuckled, waving her off with a small gesture. "I cannot rightly be mad when just yesterday I stressed the importance of investment, Ms. Schnee. Anyways, Ms. Kazella, yes. You are not trained in politics, which to me is a good thing. I prefer to keep my dealings open and honest wherever I can."

The headmaster continued talking, but Blake wasn't paying attention anymore. She was watching her teammate. "Weiss, why did you…?"

"Because we _do_ need a financial advisor, girls. Team JNPR as well. As good as my own education is, Kasta went to university specifically for it." Weiss huffed, crossing her arms. "...and it annoys me to see someone so clearly capable passed over just because… because she's got horns. So yes, I want to hire her, because then she can get practical experience and having my name on her resume should help silence a lot of the naysa-mmph! B-BLAKE!"

Blake didn't even remember moving, but she had the shorter girl wrapped in a tight hug. "Weiss, you don't know how much this means. Thank you."

Another pair of arms glomped around them both, nearly knocking them over. "Yeah! Team RWBY group hug!"

"W-what are you-?! Let go of me, you idiots!"

Laughter erupted, and strong hands pulled Ruby and Blake both away from Weiss. "Girls, give her some space," Yang chortled, "she's gonna melt!"

* * *

Mercury swung the dorm room closed, grumbling. "Aren't you in a good fucking mood."

"I _was_ until you started talking." Emerald rolled her eyes. "You're just pissed that Yagami Red beat you across the ring both ways with that hammer of hers. You weren't even trying to hold back and she still kicked your ass."

"You know what she said to me on the floor? 'I'll know if you're holding back, _gaki.'"_

"The hell does ' _gaki'_ mean?"

Mercury threw his hands in the air, steaming. "I don't freaking know, but I know it was an insult! The bitch was _playing_ with me. The only Yagami that isn't staring at me like she wants my head on a pike is the ditzy shrimp!"

Emerald put her hands on her cheeks, eyes wide. "Oh my word, the great Mercury Black was beaten like a nail by a top-heavy redhead with a mallet." She let her mocking disgust drip from her words, then sneered at him. "You know what they say, Black. 'There's always someone better'. You just ended up finding a bunch of them at once."

"Screw yourself, Sustrai. I saw you getting all _buddy-buddy_ with the librarian kid. The hell good does that do for us? Have you forgotten that they're _suspicious?_ I swear I can't take a piss without _either_ of the dogs growling at me." The frustration in his tone was clear.

"Of _course_ I know that! But being a _standoffish jerk_ is only going to make things worse! If we do what's required _without complaint,_ and maybe look like we're, you know, _not_ assholes, then they'll stop looking so hard at us!" Emerald threw open her dresser, grabbing a clean set of clothes with sharp, angry motions. "We're already on the shit list because of the Tukson thing being completely fucked, Mercury."

"Which was _your-"_

" _Which was MY idea!_ I know! I fucking know, okay?! This whole shit situation is my fault." Emerald shoved the drawer shut, shouldering Mercury aside on her way to the bathroom. "I'm taking a damned shower."

"Don't use all the hot water while you're crying on the fl-"

She slammed the door closed.

* * *

Jaune was nervous. He knew he was nervous, he knew he was _showing_ that he was nervous, and it didn't help that he couldn't even pace in the tight confines of the elevator. It also didn't help that Weiss had unequivocally turned down his offer to take her to the dance. She'd been polite about it; kind, even. But she'd made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in him, and it would be cruel of her to not say so. But she'd wished him luck, and told him to keep his eyes open. ' _You might be surprised by what's right under your nose',_ she'd said.

The elevator was also becoming an increasingly familiar sight, a thought that would have flat out _terrified_ him the semester before. But he'd spent a lot of time going to and from the Headmaster's office in the past two weeks; enough time that he knew when to force his antsy feet still and face forward for the-

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Jaune stepped through into the large, circular office, rubbing the back of his head. "Headmaster Ozpin? Thanks for agreeing to see me this morning- uh. This… hi, Pyrrha? W-what are you doing here?"

"Ah, Mr. Arc. Ms. Nikos and I were discussing your team's academic progress since your initiation. Since you two are partners anyways, I took the liberty to put your meetings back-to-back. I hope you don't mind her being here?"

Pyrrha had turned in her seat and smiled at him, and Jaune twitched a smile back. "No, no! Of course not, why would I mind?"

Ozpin gestured to the open chair, and gingerly took his seat. "You would have to tell me. You are the one who asked me for a Saturday morning meeting, after all."

"Right. Right, uhm. Well." Jaune laughed awkwardly, then felt the half-grin drain off his face. He took a deep breath, letting it out. "I, uhm. I wanted to talk to you about the, uh… contract that we all signed yesterday." He glanced around at the walls. "You know, the uh… the one that's about the stuff we can't talk about if the room's not-"

"I know which contract you speak of, Mr. Arc. It is, after all, the only contract I asked you to sign yesterday."

"Yeah, that one." Another awkward laugh bubbled past Jaune's lips, but he felt his gut roil. "...I was wondering if we could, well… if we could _adjust_ it? Specifically the part about my, uh. Compensation."

The headmaster tilted his head, and one gray eyebrow arched toward his hairline. "The rate listed in the contract is quite generous for even a veteran huntsman, Mr. Arc."

"I know, I know! That's… that's the problem." _Here it goes._ "I… I don't deserve any of it, Headmaster Ozpin."

"Jaune!" Pyrrha leaned away to look at him, surprise on her face. "That's not true!"

The man's other brow rose, and he leaned back in his chair, watching Jaune speculatively. He said nothing, though, and motioned for Jaune to continue.

"It is true, Pyrrha. I… I'm not supposed to be a huntsman, Headmas-"

"Jaune!" There was _pain_ in Pyrrha's voice; pain and worry. "What are you-"

Headmaster Ozpin sat forward, and Pyrrha cut herself off mid-syllable. "I beg to differ, Mr. Arc."

"I faked my transcript, Headmaster Ozpin!" Jaune blurted the words out, and for a scant moment, the feeling of relief was nearly tangible, months of tension draining out of his body in an instant. "I faked my transcript. I lied to get into Beacon. I never went to combat school, and I shouldn't be in an academy for huntsmen, and-"

Horror-struck, Pyrrha's hands flew to cover her mouth, her eyes wide. Not at him, of course; she'd known for months now. But at the fact that he'd admitted it to the Headmaster. _I can't really blame her._

"I am aware, Mr. Arc."

Jaune's thoughts crashed to a halt. "Say-bwhuh?"

"I said I am aware. We've known of your false transcripts since last semester; to be honest, Professor Goodwitch suspected you from the start. But that is beside the point." Ozpin leaned back again, sipping his coffee. "I know, and now you know that I know. Enlighten me, if you will; how does this factor into your wish to… adjust the legally binding contract that you signed for me, that states that you are working for Beacon as a huntsman?"

"Well, I…" _He already knew, and he still had me sign the document?_ "I was… I've only made it this far because of Team JNPR. Because of Pyrrha," Jaune couldn't help but smile at her, but it was a weak, frail thing, "pushing me along when I would have given up. Because of Ren and Nora supporting me. So I was… going to suggest taking my, uh, _compensation,_ and giving it to them instead."

"Jaune." Pyrrha's voice was no longer surprised or worried. It was… _irritated._ "One of these days you're going to come to the realization that you're worth more than you give yourself credit for, even if I have to beat it into you."

"Mm. Quite." The headmaster sipped his coffee again, then set the mug down. "Regarding your contract, Mr. Arc. Unfortunately, the contract has been signed and notarized. It _can_ be edited, but to do so would be such an unnecessary endeavor. You do remember how Professor Goodwitch and I mentioned that Teams RWBY and JNPR were operating at the level of graduates, yes?"

"Y-yes?"

"Did either of us say 'Teams RWBY and JNPR _except_ for Jaune Arc'?"

"A-ah… no. No, you didn't."

The headmaster nodded. "I made you the leader of Team JNPR for a reason, Mr. Arc. While your fighting prowess as of initiation was admittedly… lacking, you possess a mind for tactics that is as sharp as the sword you carry. _But,"_ he paused.

The pause drew on for a long moment. "...but?" Jaune had to ask.

"I have a distinct feeling that it does not matter how many times I tell you this, as you will not believe it unless you prove it for yourself."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, but there was a small grin on her lips. "He has you in a box, Jaune."

"So this is what we will do. You will take the Beacon Academy entrance exam. You will take it today, as soon as we can leave this room and go to the training arena. And you will prove to yourself that, while you may not have had the knowledge and training to pass the exam when you were initiated, you do have the knowledge and training to pass it now." Ozpin leaned forward again. "And then there will be no more of this _nonsense_ about whether or not you deserve to be a huntsman."

* * *

Cinder didn't bother standing; posture had little bearing on power. Emerald and Mercury knew their places and treated her with nothing but the respect she was due. So from her position on her bed, leaning with her shoulders against the wall, Cinder set aside her scroll. "Well?"

Emerald swallowed. "Cinder, we've been doing what you've asked. We're learning about all the students, but it's still taking time."

"Taking time is fine. The plan won't be enacted for weeks, still." Cinder narrowed her eyes a little. "But something is bothering you, I can see. What is it?"

The two exchanged a glance, before Mercury frowned. "You wanted to tell her, Em. Tell her."

"Assho-"

"Children."

They both cringed, and Emerald tried again. "The… refugee students. The ones we don't have files on?"

"What about them?"

"Two of them are the ones that saw us at- at Tukson's. They're all suspicious of us now. Mercury got called out when he tested Pyrrha Nikos, and…"

Mercury glowered, but it was at the wall more than anything else. "The Yagami bunch are waiting for a chance to lay into me. The wolfgirl too. And she knows about my legs, which means they all probably do. They're a tightly-knit group. If I go anywhere near them, they damned near form ranks against me if they can't just up and leave."

Cinder frowned, sitting upright. She crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee. "That does limit our options a little. Emerald, is your semblance secure?"

"Yes, Cinder. I haven't used it at all."

"Good. Keep it that way." Cinder let her head tilt back for a moment. "Tell me about them. The refugees."

"They're… they're _weird,_ Cinder." Emerald made a vague motion. "They're all supposed to be refugees from some colony, right? But their accents aren't all the same. The one girl… Nantoka Takamachi?"

"What kind of a name is that, anyways?" Mercury asked.

"I know, they all have weird names… but her, and the little Yagami girl, their accents are the _weirdest._ I mean, I've _never_ heard anyone sound like that before. And they have this… verbal tic, they keep adding syllables to the ends of their friends' names."

Mercury nodded. "They've all got varying accents, except for a few of them that speak… _too well._ Textbook perfect. The green haired one and her brother."

"Hmm. That _is_ interesting. What else can you tell me about them?"

"They're dangerous." Mercury's voice was flat. "It's in their motions, the way they carry themselves, the way they look at us. The Yagami kids are fully confident that they can break me over their knees, and they're probably right."

"Yuuno Scrya's looks like one of their weakest, and he held me off in a training fight with his bare hands." Emerald frowned. "He channels Aura through his motions like a graduate, and he's our age. I spent five minutes in the ring with him and barely got him past seventy percent. They're _all_ good, Cinder."

Mercury nodded along with her words. "And their teamwork is top notch, all twelve of them. I've seen them shuffle partners between teams, and they still fight like they've been working together for years. Which… isn't _too_ hard to believe; I mean, if they were living in the mountains, they'd work together or die."

"Who do they spend time with?" There was a picture just starting to form in Cinder's head, but it was missing far too many pieces.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR." Emerald didn't hesitate to say it. "Those two teams have been officially designated as the, uh… _acclimation assistants,_ I think is the term, for Teams NAVY, ZFSH, and CSAL. It's gotten them out of a couple classes the past two weeks."

"And I've seen the green-haired chick and her brother spending a lot of time talking to the headmaster. Those two are also taking that ethics course that the fourth years are supposed to take."

"Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee are taking it as well. I think I heard that they got caught up in that riot the week before last. Might be something to do with that." Emerald shifted her feet, winding down. "That's… pretty much everything we can tell you so far?"

"I see." Cinder leaned back again, considering. "Keep your eyes and ears open, but don't compromise yourselves intentionally. Take no risks unless you have to. The plan can still proceed, but I may need to make adjustments. Leave me, and go back to your room."

* * *

"I still can't believe we're doing this, Oz." Qrow rubbed his face, groaning. It's too early to be up on a Sunday.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Qrow." Ozpin sipped his drink, sighing. "At least there's the possibility of another option, now."

"This is a big risk. Just _telling_ them about her is a big risk."

"But the only other option is the Aura transfer machine. I would rather not have to test it in such a manner. Not only is the technology still in experimental stages, but Amber wouldn't survive the process." James sighed. "Hopefully there's something they can do."

The elevator opened, and Glynda stepped out, escorting Admiral Harlaown and two other; a girl with a fall of blonde hair and striking magenta eyes, and a boy with a blonde ponytail. "James, Qrow. You've both already met Lindy. This is Shamal Yagami and Yuuno Scrya. Shamal, Yuuno? James Ironwood and Qrow Branwen."

The blonde clasped her hands in front of her, bowing politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." Yuuno echoed the sentiment quietly.

"Glynda told us that you wished to speak to our support mages?" Lindy raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah we did." Qrow pushed off the window, stepping forward to look more closely at the pair. "No offense, but you two look like a pair of kids."

Lindy smiled. "Perhaps they do, but could you look at me and know that I have a twenty-two year old son?"

Qrow stared at her for a moment. "Wait a minute, Chrono's your _kid?_ I thought he was your brother!"

"A portion of our cover story that has rankled him to no end, I assure you. But if it puts you more at ease, I will let Shamal and Yuuno both speak of their credentials." She stepped to the side, nodding to the pair of blondes.

"Oh, uhm. Yes. I'm Yuuno Scrya. I'm a senior librarian at the Infinity Library, which is the information archive of the TSAB, and I've been practicing archaeology in hostile field conditions for the past ten years. I am a skilled support mage, specializing in defensive magics, sealing, and healing."

"How old _are_ you, Scrya?"

"Seventeen, Mr. Branwen."

 _Seventeen. He's seventeen. He's the same age as I was when I started at Beacon, and he's been doing this for ten years now._ Qrow pinched his nose, fingers itching for his flask. He pushed the need down, then turned to Shamal. "So what's your story, sweetheart?"

He heard Glynda groan behind him. "Qrow. Please do not antagonize the _Wolkenritter."_

"Wolkiewhatsah? What's that mean?"

Shamal cleared her throat, smiling. "It translates to Cloud Knight, Mr. Branwen. I am Shamal, Knight of the Lake."

"How'd you get that title?"

"Honestly? I don't remember. It's been too long."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll bite. How old are you?"

The blonde smiled wider. "How rude, to ask a lady her age."

He couldn't help it. He started laughing. "Well, you're the one telling me it's been so long you don't remember."

"Yes, yes. I'm being truthful, Mr. Branwen. But to put it simply, I am not human. I _was_ human, in ages long past, but now I am a being of solidified magical energy. I have been this way for thousands of years, though I have only been aware for a portion of that time. Decades, centuries. Most likely not a full millennium, though." She shrugged demurely. "The years run together, you understand."

"...you're not joking. You're serious."

"I am."

Behind him, he heard Ozpin sipping his drink. "We did tell you, Qrow."

"Stuff it, Oz." Qrow dug in his jacket pocket for his flask, unscrewing the cap to take a swig. The liquid burned harshly, but _damn_ if he didn't need it right now. "Okay, _Knight of the Lake._ What do you do?"

"My specialties lay in healing, barriers of both kinds, scrying, and Linker Core manipulation. Would you like a demonstration?"

"Hit me."

"No." She smiled again, and held up her hand. "Klarer Wind, scrying window."

Her rings glowed, chiming. " _Weit Fenster."_ The gemstones set into the ring extended outward on fine gold chains, then traced a circle in the air.

Shamal motioned him to come around to look through it. "Let's see what your nieces are doing right now, hmm? Ah, it looks like they're doing homework in the library."

There they were. The view was surrounded by shifting, glowing green light, but through the center he could clearly see Ruby and Yang both, working on an assignment with the rest of their team. "Well hot damn. And you can just _do_ this? No equipment, nothing?"

"Just the help of my Device. Granted, I am already _familiar_ with Ruby and Yang, so finding them when they are so close is a simple matter." The gems retracted into their settings, and the window faded.

"What else can you do? You said you're a healer? How… good are you at it?"

"In all seriousness, Mr. Branwen? I could make a portal, reach through it and pull your beating heart right out of your chest, show it to you, then put it back and repair the damage quickly enough for you to survive the experience. I've done it before." She frowned. "That was a bad time."

"Shit." Qrow took a cautious step back from her, then looked back at Ozpin and James. He could feel Glynda's smirk on his back. "I'm sold, Oz."

"Excellent. Then we are agreed?"

Glynda, Qrow, and James all nodded. Ozpin nodded as well, then turned to the three _alien mages._ "Tell me, what have you learned so far of Remnant's… fairy tales?"


	23. Chapter 22

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 22 - Communication and Protocol

"Local fairy tales?" Lindy raised her eyebrows, then looked over at Yuuno.

The young archaeologist cleared his throat. "I've been studying them in my spare time, Headmaster. In our line of work, it's advantageous to familiarize ourselves with the local myths and legends. They all have to come from somewhere, even the more fantastical ones."

Ozpin nodded slowly. "Considering what the TSAB does as an agency, that makes a great deal of sense." He motioned for Yuuno to continue.

"I find it interesting that several of your local legends seem to share a common theme with the mythologies of Unadministered World Ninety Seven. The planet is called Earth, and is actually the homeworld of Nanoha and Hayate both. _The Tale of Two Brothers_ shares similarities with _The Brothers Grimm,_ which in itself is an interesting linguistic coincidence. _The Girl in the Tower_ carries a similar story to _Rapunzel,_ and _The Island in the Mists_ brings to mind the legends of Earth's mythological King Arthur and the island of _Avalon."_

The headmasters shared glances, and behind him he could hear Qrow unscrewing the cap of his flask. Ozpin leaned back in his chair after a moment. "That… is rather interesting, yes."

"Yes. I've put a little extra time into them, but I haven't been able to draw any conclusions. It might just be happenstance." Yuuno shrugged. "The one that really has caught my attention is the legends about Silver-Eyed Warriors."

Ozpin's eyebrows rose. "Really? Why would that be?"

"Relevance, Headmaster. It is a story that _specifically_ involved the Creatures of Grimm, and a force of humanity that worked counter to them. Warriors with silver eyes, capable of laying the mightiest Grimm low with naught but a glare? Definitely worth consideration. There is also the matter that, well… we've become _friends_ with Ruby Rose. A girl with silver eyes." Yuuno shrugged, a little self-effacingly. "It might only be a coincidence, but it's one worth noting."

"Hm. Indeed." Ozpin shrugged as well, then leaned forward again to rest his elbows on his desk. "What have you learned about _The Story of the Seasons?"_

"I've read the common form of the myth, but to be honest? I didn't think it as relevant. Four maidens, of their own volition, came to help an old hermit realize there was more to life than simple seclusion, and in return for opening his eyes to the world he gifted them with the elemental powers of the seasons so that they could continue to do greater things. It's…" Yuuno paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a lesson, surely. A lesson about altruism, assisting those in need even when they may not even be aware of it themselves. But there's nothing in it that makes me think about… modern effect."

Qrow started chuckling, a low and grating sound. Yuuno saw Professor Goodwitch pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh, and even Ironwood had a mildly amused expression on his face. Ozpin seemed… satisfied, and he stood. "A good summary, and exactly the kind of lesson people are supposed to take from such a tale." The headmaster grabbed his cane, moving past the desk toward the elevator. "If you three will follow us, please?"

With seven people squeezed into it, the elevator was cramped. "Do you mind if I ask where you're taking us, Ozpin?" Lindy's voice was polite and cheerful, as usual.

"Of course. But first, an explanation." Ozpin tapped a code into the elevator's panel, and it started moving. " _The Story of the Seasons_ is no myth. The events described in the story are true, even if the depiction of them is… _whimsical."_

"You're hiding the truth as fiction," Yuuno concluded. "Why?"

"The power of a seasonal Maiden is a mantle, Mr. Scrya. It is power in the purest form, but it does not grant immortality. It passes, from one bearer to the next, at the moment of death."

 _Well that's foreboding._ Yuuno pulled off his glasses to wipe the lenses, frowning. "How does it select a new host?"

"Typically, it passes to whoever is in the forefront of the current holder's thoughts, if they are capable of receiving it. Usually from a mother to a daughter, or if the daughter is too old, to her daughter in turn. Or to a ward, or a close friend. However, there can be… other factors that would influence an unconscious decision."

The implications were still forming in Yuuno's head when Shamal spoke up. "It can be safe to assume that a victim's last thoughts are of their murderer."

"Precisely, Ms. Shamal. The selfish, the power-hungry. In times past, they began to _hunt_ the Maidens, to take their power for themselves. So a band, a… cabal, if you will, was formed, to protect the Maidens. To hide them from the world, and let their story fade into legend and antiquity."

"It worked for a long time," Ironwood added, "but someone… rediscovered them. The hunt has begun anew."

The elevator door opened into a massive corridor, and Yuuno realized they were far below the ground floor of the tower. Ozpin started moving forward, motioning for them to follow. "I will be brief. The Fall Maiden was assaulted some time ago, in an attempt to steal her power. It would have succeeded, if not for Qrow."

The gruff huntsman grimaced, walking alongside them. "I was too late, really. Her attackers used some sort of… thing. Some sort of creature, I think it was a Grimm, to try to pull her power out before she died, to guarantee that they received it. I cut the connection before it finished, but…"

Yuuno flinched at the thought of it, and Lindy looked disquieted. While they'd never experienced a Linker Core draining themselves, both Nanoha and Fate _had._ Shamal's own face showed nothing at all; any guilt she felt was hidden underneath centuries-old mannerisms.

At the end of the corridor, Yuuno could see a machine against the wall. While the specifics of the design weren't something he'd ever seen before, there were only so many applications for a containment chamber like that. "That looks like a stasis chamber."

Ironwood nodded. "It is. Cutting edge Atlas technology."

"The current Fall Maiden, Amber. Qrow arrived in time to stop them from stealing all of her power and ending her life, but she was grievously wounded and is beyond our ability to save. We have only been able to stall for time." Ozpin stopped in front of the chamber, turning to face them. "I hope you understand the risk we are taking by doing this; telling you of the legend, showing you where Amber is being kept safe."

"Her attacker is still at large, and is without a doubt trying to find Amber to finish what she started. Even then, all she has to do is wait." Professor Goodwitch sighed, shaking her head. "Amber is fading, slowly. Even kept in stasis, she won't last longer than a few more months at best, at which point… the remaining half of her power will escape her body to join with the rest."

Yuuno exchanged a glance with Shamal, then looked back at Lindy. The admiral let out a slow breath. "You want to know if we can help."

"Yes." Ironwood gestured at the machine. "We… have a plan of our own, but it is an absolute last resort. Atlas has developed the technology to… _transfer_ Aura from one body to another, and the Maiden's power is attached to her Aura. If we could find a suitable volunteer, we could…"

Shamal interrupted him, her voice neutral. "You could force the remnants of the maiden power into a new host, where it would remain when Amber's body expired. A condition that would be expedited by the removal of her Linker Core. Admiral, theoretical magical technologies that allow for the removal of living being's Linker Core-"

"-are classified as Grade Three Proscribed Technology according to TSAB Regulations and Categorizations, Section Three, Subsection Four." Lindy finished for her, her voice grim. "If you were not here to represent the very civilization that created it, I would be forced to classify it as a Grade Three Lost Logia and confiscate it as per TSAB protocols. Even as it stands… General Ironwood, I cannot in good conscience allow this _device_ to be used."

"And that's the very reason we made the decision to bring you down here, Admiral." Professor Goodwitch cut in. "We're… hoping that you can do something for her. Anything is better than that."

Lindy pursed her lips, but nodded to Yuuno and Shamal. They stepped closer to the stasis tube, looking inside.

Amber's eyes were closed. The left side of her face was in ruin, skin cracked and dead, but what remained of her expression was locked in a faint grimace of agony. Shamal looked back at them. "What are the extent of her physical injuries that you are aware of?"

"Several contusions and broken bones, burn wounds, and an arrow wound to her back, not to mention the injuries to her face. It nicked her spine." Ozpin shrugged, and it struck Yuuno as the most _helpless_ gesture he'd ever seen from the aloof headmaster. "Those injuries alone shouldn't be enough to do _this_ to her. But she fades further every day. We don't think she would last the week if not for the stasis chamber."

"How long ago did this happen?" Shamal took a step back, flicking her fingers. _Klarer Wind_ spun out its gems, forming a scrying window.

"Over a year ago. We've been trying to find her attacker." Qrow pushed his hair back, shaking his head. "Haven't had much luck."

Shamal made a noncommittal sound, gesturing Yuuno over to look at _Klarer Wind's_ display with her. "What do you think?"

The full extent of Amber's injuries were easy for the device to pick out. "Honestly? Nanoha was in worse shape when her Linker Core failed, at least in terms of her wounds."

Shamal nodded, cutting the window. "We should have little trouble in healing her body, and I'm even confident that there will be no lingering scarring. However, the damage to her Linker Core is… troubling. There are a lot of… lingering energies that are clouding my scans. I would not be comfortable trying to repair the damage before spending an extensive amount of time studying the extent of the problem."

Yuuno blinked. "You've _never_ seen anything like this before?"

"No, Yuuno. Even the Book of Darkness did not _damage_ a target's Linker Core. It simply drained the target of their reserves; that which could be recovered naturally." She turned for a moment to look at Ozpin. "Headmaster. If I am going to try to help her, I will need to spend a great deal of time here in this room with her. Because of Remnant's mana field, the range on my more detailed scans are… inhibited greatly."

The Headmaster exchanged another glance with his associates. He cleared his throat. "I urge you, take as much time as you need. I will fabricate excuses for the classes you are supposed to be taking, and if there is anything that you need, we will do everything in our power to provide it."

Shamal let out a small breath of relief. " _Sankt Kaiser,_ thank you for being sane. I've had previous masters who were… not. All of them, in fact. We got lucky with Mistress Hayate."

Lindy started giggling, and Yuuno had to shake his head.

Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying that Ms. Yagami is… not?"

Shamal smiled, and the warmth of her expression, for a moment, made the chill of the room vanish. "You may have noticed that she's trying to pair all of your students together for the dance. Perhaps your faculty as well."

* * *

"Wow, Hayate," Nora stared at her, impressed, "you sneeze _really loud_ for someone smaller than _me."_

Hayate blushed a little, hand still covering her mouth and nose. "Well, you know how it is. Go big or go home, right? Anyways!" She rubbed out the mess her dry-erase marker had made on the wall, then stood back to look at it in its entirety. "Is that everyone?"

"Looks like it!"

The entire wall was covered in a grid, student after student listed in rows and columns, connected by colored lines and circles. As far she and Nora could tell, every student currently in residence at Beacon, including the guests from the other academies, was represented. Hayate rubbed her hands together, grinning.

"Excellent."

Across the room, Signum buried her nose deeper into her book. "Leave me out of this."

* * *

Lindy and Ozpin's group stepped back to give the two mages room to work. They were all silent for a long moment, which gave her a bit of peace in which to think.

She made herself take the time to review things in her head, instead of going with her gut instinct. She could not deny that she was associated with the aggrieved party. She was in a position of bias.

Thankfully, TSAB law was quite clear. _Intentional Violation of the Linker Core of a sophont is classified as a Tier One Dimensional Crime._ It almost made her laugh, but it would have been a dry, cold thing to hear. _If her attackers had simply killed her, it would be a lot harder to argue this, but… silver linings, as they say._

Quietly, so as to not disturb Shamal and Yuuno, Lindy caught the others' attentions and motioned them closer. "I've come to a conclusion regarding TSAB protocols that you four may be interested in hearing."

They gathered around, sharing a few glances. Ozpin motioned for her to continue. "Please."

"To put it simply, the attack on Amber can be classified as a Dimensional Crime, because they specifically made an effort to incapacitate her and steal her power. As such, I am able to claim jurisdiction in this situation, in order to bring local area dimensional criminals to justice."

She gave them a moment to digest that. "So what," Qrow asked, "are you saying you're just gonna… take over? 'Thanks for the pointers, you should just stand back' and all that?"

"Not at all. I wouldn't presume to think that we understand Remnant as a whole well enough to do such a thing. But, it means that if it is necessary, my people can assist yours on an _official_ capacity, and I will be able to justify my actions before a TSAB board of inquiry if necessary."

Ironwood perked an eyebrow. "Just to be clear, by official capacity, you mean…?"

"I mean that I can and will deploy Mage Teams Alpha and Beta in full combat capacity, if that is what it takes to safeguard your people from this dimensional threat."

* * *

"You, uh, wanted to see me, Weiss? What's up?"

"Jaune. Good, you're here." Weiss opened the door to her dorm all the way. "Inside. Time is money, and all that."

The lanky blonde scratched his head, stepping into the room. "What's this about?"

Weiss shut the door behind him, pointing toward the desk. "Have a seat." She waited, crossing her arms, until he did as asked. "I've taken the liberty of hiring a financial advisor for our teams. Her credentials are top notch."

"A what? A financial advisor?"

She reached past him, tapping the short stack of printed paper sitting on the desk. "Yes. Here's the contract, she and I wrote it up yesterday. I'll walk you through the legalese before you sign. I have three more copies for you to give to the rest of your team. Explain it to them the same way I explain it to you, and I'm sure Pyrrha can help you if you have any trouble."

Jaune picked up the stack of papers, apprehension evident in his eyes. "Are you sure that, uh, _I_ should be the one taking it to them?"

 _I swear, Jaune Arc._ "You're the leader of Team JNPR. Are you trying to tell me you're not _qualified?"_

She expected him to stammer and cave, the way he usually did. He reacted strangely though, frowning and raising a hand to touch tentative fingers to what Weiss realized was an already-fading black eye. _When did that happen? He didn't have it Friday night._

"...no, I'm not. I mean, I'm not trying to tell you that." He gave his head a shake and took a deep breath. "Okay then. As the leader of Team JNPR, I need to understand this. Let's go through it?"

Weiss raised her eyebrows. "All right then. Good. So, this is a formal contract to be signed between each of you individually and one Kasta Kazella, for her to operate as our financial advisor and investment manager. My teammates already signed their contracts with yesterday."

"How are we paying her? I'm guessing that's in the details?"

"Yes. She's being paid a small flat fee per month, and she will be allocated a small percentage of any returns on investment that we receive."

Jaune flipped through the papers, having to take a few moments to find the appropriate portion. Weiss waited; she was just happy to see him taking it seriously. "Is that a… fair pay rate?"

"Better than average, actually, but we can easily afford it now." Weiss let herself shrug. "I don't want to say I'm _buying loyalty_ from her, but it is a very real thing in the business world to entice someone to _want_ to stay working for you."

"I guess that makes sense. Okay, I'll… let me read each section, and try to understand it. If I get it wrong, you correct me?"

That actually made Weiss smile. "Of course."

"Thanks, Weiss. Really." He glanced up at her, scratching his head. "I'm sorry I was getting a little-"

 _Oh don't start. You were doing so well._

"-annoying, about the whole asking you out thing. I was being stupid right from the start, and-"

"Stop it."

"But Weiss, I'm trying to-"

"Ah-pupup!" Weiss cut him off again, waving her finger in front of his face. "Are you trying to ask me out now?"

"No!" Jaune's eyes tracked her finger like a bouncing ball, before tearing his gaze away to look her in the eye. "No, I'm not!"

Weiss put her hands on her hips and bounced on her toes. "Then it's behind us."

Jaune stared at her for a moment, disbelieving, then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"...okay. That's it. Thank you for helping us, Weiss. It means a lot to me, and to my team."

"It's been a long few weeks, Jaune. We've got to watch out for each other."

* * *

It was a fine, clear, sunny afternoon, and the sun shone high and bright over Beacon's campus. _As usual._

Students and citizens of Vale sat on the benches, lounged on the grass, and walked the neatly-kept paths, laughing and carrying on without a care in the world. _Fools._

 _Live your little lives._

They were all just kindling in the end, and she craved _fire._ They'd serve their purpose in time, but for now they were just useless to her.

When the world burned, their fears would fan the flames. But until then...

Cinder paid them no mind, walking with languid purpose toward the CCTS tower. She had two things to accomplish today.

First, and more importantly, she felt it prudent to scout the location. _Emerald and Mercury are acting their age,_ she thought. Both were expressing concerns about the situation getting out of hand. With that in mind, she supposed a dry run wouldn't be a complete waste of time, if only to make them feel better about her control over the situation. _The lengths I go through to keep those two happy…_

The other thing was a suggestion that Emerald had dared to voice to her. Worse than that, it stunk of… good sense. ' _You've spent the entire two weeks we've been here in your room, except for required classes,'_ Emerald had stammered to her. ' _If you don't start showing your face, people are going to start thinking you're… anti-social.'_

' _So what if I am? I have better things to do than waste time pandering to a bunch of upstart children,'_ she'd replied.

' _Cinder, have you_ ever _heard of a huntress that was a… a wallflower?'_

The girl was _right,_ irritatingly enough. It was time to show at least a tiny amount of sociability; just enough to be part of the sniveling, gormless crowd of students. She had a call to make. Just to be sure, she checked her vest pocket to make sure the slip of paper was still there.

The main entrance to the CCTS tower was before her. Before she reached one of the sets of double doors, though, they slid open and a pair of students walked out.

They were two of the refugees, Cinder saw. A young man with glasses that had a studious air to him, and a serene young woman with long green hair in a messy ponytail. _The boy is the one that Emerald said fought her to a standstill. The girl is…_

"Let's go to the arena, Yuuno. It's my turn to have Pyrrha beat me into a red paste, after all." Her voice was cheerful and bright, and she was perfectly at ease in her teal summer dress. If it wasn't for the color, it was something Cinder would have worn herself. _But not like her. Appearance is power. She's wearing it just for the pleasure of wearing it._ Cinder stepped past the two and swept in through the doors before they slid closed.

Students and staff milled through the lobby, ignoring Cinder as she paced to the elevator set into the far wall.

The door slid open, and Cinder almost bowled over a demure slip of a blonde girl. The student took a graceful step back, simpering an apology for almost running into her. "I'm very sorry, I didn't expect you to be there."

 _As well you should._ Cinder stepped back to let the girl out of the elevator, keeping the irritation from her face. "It's quite all right. Excuse me."

The faintest frown marred the girl's pleasant features, and then she actually performed a small, exact bow that both surprised and pleased Cinder. _If she only knew who she was dealing with, she'd be prostrate on the ground._ Then she straightened, slipping past her.

Cinder stepped into the elevator, flashing her scroll at the console and rolling her eyes at the inconvenience. A minute later saw her taking a seat at one of the call booths, and she pulled the strip of paper from her vest pocket.

The call connected after a few rings. " _Titans' Textiles, may I help you?"_

"Yes, you may. I need to place an order."

* * *

" _Mister_ Harlaown. I heard you wanted to talk to me."

"Chrono, please. Unless you want me to call you Mr. Branwen."

Qrow snorted, stepping into the dorm room and taking the offered seat. "Sorry it took me a couple'a days to get in here. Can't stop doing my job, you know?"

"Believe me, I know." Chrono shut the door behind him, and muttered to the card in his pocket. "S2U, countermeasures."

" _Countermeasures active."_

Qrow shook his head. "Hell of a magic wand you got there, Chrono. So, what's this about?"

"I wanted to follow up on a couple leads. As the senior enforcer on site, I'm in charge of the TSAB counter-intelligence and investigation operations here on campus."

"Arright." Qrow pulled out his flask, glancing to the end of the room. Lindy was curled up on her bed, dozing away the bruises from her mid-week training session. "How much do you know?"

"I've been informed about Sunday's excursion. It goes no further than me, I can assure you." Chrono took a seat on his own bed, rubbing his face. "You're a scythe user, yes?"

"That's right. What of it?"

"And you trained Ruby Rose, your niece?"

"I did. She made her first scythe completely on her own when she was ten; Rose's Thorn, she called it." Qrow laughed, taking a swig and relishing the burn for a moment. "I gotta be honest, it was a piece of shit, and the poor girl was a right mess with it. More likely t' chop off her own arm than anything, and… well…"

Chrono seemed content to wait while Qrow put the thought together, jotting down notes on a holo-window.

Qrow took another sip, sighing. "Well, Taiyang- that's her father, by the by- he was finally digging himself out of the rut he was stuck in from losing Summer."

"Summer?"

"Summer Rose. Ruby's mom. She died when Ruby was four. Mission went bad." Qrow shook his flask, then screwed the lid on tight. Talking about that even made the liquor taste like ash.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Not your fault, man. Summer had a heart of gold and a drive to make things right." He let out a dry chuckle, tilting his head back. "Yang still calls her Supermom. Slayer of monsters and baker of cookies. But… going out and biting off more'n you can chew, it happens to the best of us."

"I understand what you mean."

"Do you now?" Qrow fixed Chrono with a stare, and to the young man's credit he was unfazed.

"My father. I was three."

"I guess you do. Sorry to hear." Qrow leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Anyways. So Taiyang was finally digging himself out of his depression, and he was able to see that Ruby was hot garbage with her old scythe. So he asked me to step in. The man's good with his fists, but he didn't know the first thing about using anything _sharp."_

"So you turned her into the most adorable blender on the planet." Chrono actually gave him a wry grin.

Qrow laughed. "That I did. She's a natural at it, too, she just needed someone to help her get started. But why are you asking? There's gotta be a reason."

"It could just be a coincidence, but… my little sister uses a combat scythe as well-"

"Does she now?" Qrow leaned back, tilting his flask up.

"-and the fact that she's using a scythe has drawn some attention from some of the exchange students." Chrono brought up a pair of images and spun the holowindow around with a twist of his fingers. "These two; Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black."

The flask fell from suddenly nerveless hands. Qrow _coughed,_ whiskey burning in his throat before he spewed the mouthful of alcohol across the dorm room. The deluge of liquor caught the sleeping admiral full in the face, soaking her hair and pillow.

She slept on, undisturbed.

"W-what the- where the fuck- those two are _here?!"_ Qrow lurched to his feet, grabbing at the holowindow to pull it closer. His fingers passed through it like it wasn't even there, sending static through the images. "How long have they been here? I've been looking for those murdering bastards since- since… Harlaown!"

The young soldier ripped his eyes away from the admiral, concern and distress written plain on his face. "You just spit all over my mom!"

"Who the fuck cares, that's not important right now!" Qrow stabbed his finger through the image, transfixing the digital Mercury through the eye. "How the hell do you know these two assholes?"

"W-what?" Chrono gave his head a shake, rubbing his eyes. "R-right. Right. Emerald and Mercury. They're on our watch list. Two of our people interrupted them while they were shaking down a bookstore in Vale. You know something about them?"

"Yes I know something about them! They're two of the people that attacked Amber!" Qrow ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a fistful. "We need to go tell Ozpin, c'mon."

"Wait. Hold on." Chrono held up his hand. "Hold on just a moment and calm down, Qrow."

Qrow swore under his breath, but stepped back and crossed his arms. "I _have_ to tell the others about this."

"I'm not arguing that point. But seriously, Qrow. Count to ten first and think. You're an intelligence operative, right?"

"Shit. Yeah, you're right." Qrow paced back and forth for a moment, calming his thoughts. "If they're here it means they're planning something. They're trying to find Amber and finish the job. But they might now know that I know they're here, and running out in a rush is the best way to get spotted."

"Emerald and Mercury have been participating in a lot of the voluntary combat training sessions that happen each evening after classes. I'll make sure we keep them busy. That's probably your best bet to get to Ozpin while _making sure_ they're not there to see-"

Chrono was cut off by a loud yawn. Lindy sat upright in her bed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

She paused, sniffing the back of her hand. Her eyes opened in confusion.

"Did I forget to shower?"

* * *

"I can't believe you're dragging me to this farce again."

Emerald didn't look at him, busying herself with checking her weapons. "Deal with it, Mercury. You're my _partner,_ and it'll look weird if we're both not there."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "You're my partner, it'll look weird if we're both not there," he mimicked, mocking her. "We don't need to be here every damned evening, Emerald. A couple nights a week is plenty."

"Scrya asked me to spar with him, and we're trying to be _sociable._ I can't say no without sounding like a complete bitch."

"Oh, my bad!" Mercury snorted. "Far be it from me to stop you from seeing your new boyfriend-"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Sure sounds like it, I've seen the way you've been looking at him the last few days."

Emerald whirled, shoving him hard enough to make him stumble. "No, he's not. But even after the bookstore, even though I'm associated with a complete _dick_ like you? He still treats me with _respect._ So yeah, I'm gonna go spar with him, because it's a hell of a lot more appealing than standing next to you all day."

"Respect? You care what he thinks of you?" Mercury scoffed. "We'll see what he thinks of you in a few weeks."

"Go suck on Red's hammer, asshole. Maybe she'll beat you into a semblance of a human being." Emerald put her back to him, striding angrily toward the arena floor.

Mercury watched her go, eyes narrowed. After a few moments, he shook his head and followed, arms crossed.

The arena was filled with students, as usual. Emerald had homed in on the mousy boy, and even now they were exchanging a short bow in one of the side rings. Off to another side, Nikos was putting Takamachi and the green-haired girl through a series of spear drills, while in another circle Yagami Red was tearing up the floor with Nora Valkyrie, hammer against hammer. _Small mercies,_ he thought.

His musings were interrupted by a voice calling him out. "Mercury Black?"

Mercury turned, to find the blue-haired guy looking at him. "Yeah?"

"Chrono Harlaown. Care for a match?" The jacketed student pointed toward an empty circle with his staff, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Sure. It's why we're here, after all."

He followed Harlaown to the empty circle, taking up a stance. The man squared off facing him, staff raised and ready.

They started fighting cautiously, and Mercury threw a few kicks to test the man's reflexes. Harlaown parried them easily, countering with a few jabs when he could that Mercury effortlessly knocked aside.

They traded blows for a minute or so, getting a feel for each other. Mercury pursed his lips a little, changing up his game a bit. Taking a few more risks, leaving some openings but pushing a lot harder.

To Harlaown's credit, he managed to block or dodge everything Mercury sent his way, but he wasn't taking advantage of nearly as many opportunities as Mercury was giving him. _He's damned good at defense, but his offense is lacking._

More noticeably, his opponent was _aware_ of the openings Mercury was leaving, but… _yeah. Yeah, he can see them, but he doesn't trust his own ability to follow through. All right then._ Mercury dashed forward, using his hands as well now, and when Harlaown's weapon was out of position he slammed a solid boot into the man's chest and fired.

Chrono was thrown back by the blast, tumbling to the ground and rolling away. When he came up, the staff collapsed into a shotgun and he started loosing scattershot toward Mercury. Two of the bursts caught him before he closed in again, making him grimace. _Right. He's more comfortable at ranged. Not making that mistake again._

It took another minute or two, but Mercury wore him down with flurries of weaker strikes, not wanting to risk knocking him back with another ankle shot. But by the end, Chrono's scroll beeped unhappily, while Mercury's own Aura was still safely in the mid-yellows.

"Not bad," Mercury admitted. It hadn't been a bad match after all. "You're a tough nut to crack, Harlaown. Need to work on your close-range work, though."

"I'm aware. Sticking around much longer?" Harlaown was sliding new rounds into his weapon's breech, perking an eyebrow as he did so.

Mercury glanced across the floor to see Emerald and Scrya mixing it up again. The scoreboard showed that they weren't going to be finished anytime soon. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice."

Something about Harlown _bothered_ him, though. More so than just the oddly too-perfect accent, but something about how the man carried himself. _I swear he'd be more at home next to a squad of Ironwood's soldiers than he is here, but he's not an Atlas exchange student. Then again, he's a bit old for a first-year. Maybe he already tried the military life?_

Mercury stretched a little, surveying the room. _The wolves are circling again, go figure. Maybe I should see how good 'Fate-chan' is with that scythe of hers-_ Something caught his eye.

Yagami Pink was fighting the Arc punk, holding her lengthy blade in one hand; her left arm was still bandaged and bound tightly to her chest. _Gotta give her credit for- for… wait a minute._

There it was again. Her left arm was twitching, even as wrapped as it was. The pink-haired swordswoman was forcing herself to _not_ use it, keeping it… _hidden? Didn't she nearly lose it in the riot a few weeks back?_

It made him wonder. Even with Aura, that kind of injury should take at least a month to heal properly. _Which means she's already healed and doesn't want anyone to know? That's… interesting._

* * *

 _Don't hold back this time,_ Nanoha and Lindy had requested. _Fight seriously, we'll do the best we can._

Lindy had asked Pyrrha on as a personal student, since she had so much skill with a spear. So the sparring evenings usually saw at least one, and maybe several, matches between her and the older woman. Despite the bruises, despite the constant defeats, the admiral kept coming back for more.

Well. They had asked, so Pyrrha was delivering. She had both of them right where she wanted them.

She backpedaled just enough to let _Raising Heart's_ blade miss her by inches, while she warded off _Durandal_ with _Akouo's_ rim. _Milo_ barked twice in response, a Dust-propelled double-tap of thrusts that caught Lindy in the chest and belly, knocking the older woman off her feet and dipping her to just above the fifteen-percent level. Spinning the javelin in her hand, Pyrrha spared a glance to the side. Grinning, she took two steps back.

True to expectations, the enthusiastically aggressive Nanoha chased after her-

"I can see Signal from he-oomp!" -just in time for Nora's flailing body to crash into her full force, sending them both to the ground. Nanoha's scroll blared an Aura warning, signaling her loss.

Vita's shout of 'Sorry!' echoed through the arena while Pyrrha switched _Milo_ to rifle form and, while Lindy was still struggling to stand, calmly shot her in the face. "Not bad, you two. You lasted for two minutes!"

From underneath Nora, Nanoha weakly raised one hand to give her a thumbs up. Lindy just laughed from her spot on the floor, not bothering to stand. "Go us!"

The three of them shared a laugh, even while Nora jumped back to her feet and charged back toward Vita, screaming a battle cry.

Looking around, Pyrrha noticed most of the combatants were winding down for the evening. Passing through the small groups of students, she made her way to the sparring circle where Jaune and Signum were just finishing their session.

The knight seemed well pleased, sheathing _Laevatein_ with a flourish. "You did well today, Arc. If you wish to spar and I am available, I will be happy to do so, but I will not be requiring your attendance for the rest of the week." She turned, nodding to Pyrrha. "Nikos."

"Hello, Signum. Anything I should know?"

"Nothing problematic. He continues to improve on all levels, and," Signum cocked an eyebrow at Jaune, "his confidence has improved notably this past week."

"Then if it's all right with you, I will be usurping my partner's attentions for the time being?"

Jaune glanced back and forth between them, coughing into his hand. "I'm uh, I'm right here you know."

Signum sketched a short salute, bowing at the waist. "I would not dream of interfering. Excuse me, Arc, Nikos." She walked away, back straight.

Pyrrha scooped up Jaune's towel and water bottle, offering them to him. He shook his head. "I still gotta do my cooldown lap. You in?"

"Of course." The two of them started for the edge of the room, and some of the students started leaving their groups to follow along. By the time they reached the perimeter and started running, some thirty students were jogging along behind in a loose pack, casual banter flying back and forth between them. Jaune's end-of-session jog had turned into something of an event for everyone at the nightly sparring practice.

"How'd your session with Lindy and Nanoha go?"

"It went very well. Signum seemed quite pleased with you?"

"She's… yeah. She's pretty happy. Sometimes she almost smiles, even."

"That's quite impressive. Some of the exchange students are wondering if she even knows how."

From behind them, they heard Hayate laugh. "Rude!"

Pyrrha waved over her shoulder, smiling at the tiny brunette, then looked back to Jaune. "So, uhm…" The question caught in her throat, and she had to take a moment to clear it. _I need to know…_ "Did Weiss ever… give you an answer?"

"What? Oh, uh. Yeah, she did, uhm. Before I talked to Ozpin over the weekend. She said no."

"She did?"

"Yeah. She made it pretty clear, I'm not her type." Jaune shrugged, trying to blow it off. "Probably better in the long run. We had to talk about the contract thing I went over with you, and it was… a lot easier when I knew there was no reason to try to impress her, you know?"

"Oh. Yes, that… that does make a lot of sense! You were very thorough talking to us about the contract, too. It was very nice of her to worry about us as well." _Weiss told him no!_

"Yeah, that's what I told her too."

They jogged in silence until they finished the lap, their gaggle of followers peeling off toward the end. Jaune trotted to his towel, snatching it off the floor to mop the sweat from his forehead. "Why d'you want to know?"

"What?" Pyrrha's mind went blank for a moment, and she bent down to grab his water bottle while she struggled for something to say. "Oh, you know. Just… wondering what everyone's plans are!"

Jaune accepted the bottle, twisting the cap and taking a sip. His brow was furrowed in thought. "...do you have a date to the dance, Pyrrha?"

"I… no, I don't. No one's asked me yet."

"Seriously? Jeez, is everyone blind?" Jaune shook his head in exasperation.

… _just the person that matters, apparently._ Her eyes closed, Milo's grip creaked in her hand. She forced her fingers to relax a little.

"Wait. Is that why you asked me about Weiss? Crap, Pyrrha, why didn't you say so?"

Pyrrha's eyes snapped open, and she looked at him. "I, uhm. I didn't want to-"

"Pyrrha, it's fine. I wouldn't have thought that of you, myself, but now that you bring it up I really can't blame you." Jaune nodded, and there was that glimmer of surety in his eyes that she adored.

 _Finally!_ She wanted to let _Milo_ and _Akouo_ clatter to the ground and throw her arms around him, every fiber of her being singing with joy. "Jaune, I really don't know what to-"

"Just ask her out, Pyrrha."

"Oh, Jaune! I would love to- _what."_ Every thought in her head crashed to a halt, and she was left staring at him blankly. "...ask _who_ out?"

"Weiss?" Jaune said, tone of voice pitching up, leadingly. "We were just talking about her. You were waiting to hear that she said no to me, right?"

"W-what? _What?_ No!" _How on Remnant did he get that idea?!_ "Jaune, I have absolutely no interest in taking Weiss Schnee to the dance."

"What? She's… beautiful, and _smart,_ and wasn't she really interested in you back at initiation?" Jaune sounded honestly confused. _The goofy, adorable, infuriating dunce sounds honest-to-Grimm confused._

Pyrrha wanted to scream; at him, at herself. _Why are you so dense, Jaune? Why can't I just say I want you?!_ "...no, Jaune. Weiss had been interested in the social and political advantages that she would have by being my partner. She's better now, but there was a reason I picked _you_ out in the forest."

"Oh." Jaune processed that for a moment. "Wait. You _picked_ me?"

Pyrrha covered her face with her hand, trying to get back on topic. "Jaune, believe me. I'm not attracted to Weiss."

He just looked at her. Pyrrha finally shook her head, holding out her hand at Weiss' head level. "She's this tall, right?"

"...yeah?"

"Yes. Even if I was interested in her, I'd _smother_ her whenever we hugged."

Jaune blinked twice, then his cheeks went a little red. "Oh. Yeah, never thought of that. Huh."

"More importantly, Jaune?" She took a deep breath, trying to draw forth her courage. _I'm a four-time tournament champion. I'm the best student in Beacon barring some of the refugees, and they don't count because they're alien space police. For Pumpkin Pete's sake, I'm on the cover of their breakfast cereal! I can do this. I just need to tell him I like him. Things about him._ "I like tall, athletic blondes."

 _...and none of that helps me at all, when it comes to speaking my feelings to one stone-dense boy._

"Oh!" The befuddled expression on his face cleared, replaced by surprise. Pyrrha felt a new flicker of hope.

A flicker of hope quickly extinguished. "Wait, you like _Yang?"_ Just like all the rest.

… _dammit._


	24. Chapter 23

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 23 - Useless To Me

The bell tower tolled midnight in low, deep tones, muted by the cool night air and distance. Jaune stared at the ceiling, roiling thoughts keeping him from finding the gentle repose of sleep. The rest of his team seemed to have no such problem; Ren was completely silent as usual, Nora's light snores drifted through the room, and Pyrrha…

Pyrrha had been in a mood ever since their conversation, and right before they'd all gone to bed she'd been wearing an odd, conflicted expression. Jaune turned onto his side, rubbing his eyes. _I did something stupid._ His tried to corral his chaotic, racing thoughts, marshalling them into some manner of order.

Ren had tried to teach Jaune about meditation, but he had yet to take to them very well. Still, he focused on the sporadic lessons, and with effort tried to isolate the churning thoughts and inspect them, one at a time.

' _There was a reason I picked you out in the forest.'_

' _Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask.'_

' _Your stance is wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground.'_

Pyrrha… she'd wanted to help him, right from the start. _Heaven knows I needed the help. I wouldn't have passed Ozpin's reinitiation test if she hadn't pushed me. Signum wouldn't have wasted her time on me if Pyrrha hadn't kept me from giving up._

He rolled over again, looking across the dim room toward her. Pyrrha was curled on her side, buried under her blankets and facing the wall. _I was just… trying to help, and I upset her._

Another memory flashed through his mind. Being pinned to the arena floor by his own sword. ' _B-but what did I do?'_ he'd asked of Signum. ' _I would be doing you a disservice if I told you. You need to determine your mistake by yourself,'_ she'd replied.

 _I was… taking a breather. Watching the others practice- no. I was watching_ Weiss _practice… something._ Something clicked, and it made him frown. _I was training with Pyrrha, but I was watching Weiss._

Her question that evening floated through his mind. ' _Did Weiss ever… give you an answer?'_ She'd been halting, hesitating even. And she'd been _relieved_ when he told her he'd been turned down.

Weiss' comment came back to him. ' _You might be surprised by what's right under your nose.'_

' _I like tall, athletic blondes.'_

Jaune sat upright in bed, one hand pressed against his head. He pulled some of his bangs forward in front of his eyes, staring at the yellow lock of hair.

' _There was a reason I picked you out in the forest.'_

Everyone was asleep, so no one heard him mutter. "I have been an absolute, complete _moron."_

* * *

"So we're agreed."

"Yeah. We're agreed." Emerald pursed her lips, sighing. "The very fact that we're agreeing on this is probably the biggest sign that we're right."

"Right then. Who _tells_ her?"

"I told her last time. Your turn."

"Real mature, Em. Fine, I'll bite the bullet. Let's go."

They slipped out of the room, crossing the hall of the exchange dorm to knock on the room opposite theirs. The response was immediate. "Enter."

Emerald exchanged a glance with Mercury. "I swear she never sleeps…" It was barely six in the morning.

He shrugged, opening the door. Emerald followed him in, closing it behind them.

Cinder was waiting for them, already fully dressed despite the early hour. The room's other bed was covered in bolts of cloth; sheer silks and satins, velvety fabrics, and more. The light of the dawning sun poured through the window, tingeing everything in reds and yellows. "Well?"

Emerald blinked. "Uh. What's all this?"

"I am following through with your suggestion, Emerald." Cinder gestured to the assorted fabrics. "I will be offering my services as a… _seamstress,"_ she nearly spit the word, "to the less fortunate students planning to attend the school dance. To make myself more _personable._ After all, there are no huntress wallflowers."

"Oh. That's… I didn't know you knew how to sew."

"Enough about that." Cinder swiped a hand through the air. "You two have something to tell me?"

Emerald nudged Mercury, and he heaved a sigh. "Yeah. Long and short, Cinder? We're under too much surveillance because of the Tukson thing. We need to cut ties with you, as much as possible, to keep you clean."

Cinder's face betrayed nothing. "You believe this will be a problem?"

Emerald shook her head. "Not for the plan, no. Not in the long run. But we're always being watched when we're in public now. Mercury said it pretty well. He can't take a piss without the wolves growling in his direction."

"They think we're troublemakers and miscreants," Mercury added, "despite Em's _visible infatuation_ with her new boyfriend-"

"Yuuno's not my _boyfriend!" I hate you so much, Mercury._

Mercury laughed. "Yuuno, is it? I thought he was just _Scrya,_ Em."

 _SO much._ "I swear if you don't stop saying that I'm going to-"

"Children." The word burned the air. Emerald clamped her mouth shut, unable to control her blush.

"Sorry." Mercury didn't look sorry at all.

Cinder stared at them both for a moment, then nodded slowly. "If that is your… _professional…_ opinion, then I will agree with you. We'll move to our contingency cover story. I will call on you when I need you, and not before." She turned away, going back to her piles of textiles. "Leave. The next time we speak, it will be as the cover dictates."

Emerald's eyes widened a little. "I-if you're-"

"Get. Out." Cinder's voice rose to a yell, all acerbic distaste and _very_ displeased. "I don't know what the headmaster was thinking saddling me with you two, but if you two don't shape up I'll send you back to Mistral myself. Leave me alone." She was easily loud enough to wake up students in the neighboring dorm rooms.

A muffled thump against one of the walls proved the point. " _Shut up! We're trying to sleep in here!"_

 _R-right. Cover story. She's playing for the cheap seats._ "Y-yes, ma'am."

They hurried out the door, not daring to even look at each other before they were back in their own room. Mercury closed it behind them, giving his head a shake. "Damn. She was on that like stink on shit. I'd almost think she really didn't like us." He was barely whispering; Emerald almost didn't hear him.

She had nothing to say in response.

* * *

Cinder heard the door close, sparing one glance over her shoulder to make sure it was properly shut. _Useless. I handpicked them out of the gutter, gave them everything they needed, and I only asked for their loyalty._

Loyalty didn't matter. _They've made themselves_ useless _to me. All they have left to offer is their silence._

A hint of smoke filled her nose, and she breathed deep, revelling in the scent. It was comforting to her; it calmed, her, it-

 _Wait._

She looked down. The bolt of cotton in her hands was smoldering. _Shit._

It was an _effort_ to call forth the other part of her power. _Fire_ had its place in her; burning, consuming. Cold was antithesis, anathema. A part of her own power that she did her best to ignore. But, as the uncomfortable chill of ice settled into her hands and extinguished the burning fabric, she did have to admit that it had its uses.

The lingering trails of smoke frosted and settled to the carpet, leaving the air clean and odorless. She tossed the ruined roll of cloth into the trash bin, sighing.

A buzzing caught her attention, and she pulled her scroll from her pocket. She'd set it to receive messages from Beacon's student community message board, and had posted her own offered _services_ the night before.

There was a message waiting for her, from one _Yagami, H._

 _What is a student doing awake at six in the morning?_ Paranoia bloomed in her thoughts, and she tapped the message to open it.

' _My cosplay sense is tingling! Did you by chance order_ _fabrics_ _? Do you have enough to share?'_

Cinder stared at the message, nonplussed. If it was some scheme to try to undermine her plans, she couldn't see how. And that word…

 _What in the world is Cosplay?_

* * *

Weiss sat up groggily, fumbling for her scroll. _What in the…_ She blinked blearily at the screen, rubbing her scarred eye.

She flipped it open, keeping her voice as low as she could. "Jaune. It is quarter after six in the morning. If this is not _important,_ I swear to anyone listening that I will make you rue the week."

" _It's important! I… well, I think it's important. It's… kind of important?"_

"Spit it out before I find Myrtenaster."

" _It's about Pyrrha! I need help."_

Weiss let her eyes open fully. "...what do you need my help for?"

" _Because I've been an idiot, and I need to make it up to her but I have no clue if I'm on the right track and-"_ His voice trailed off.

"And?"

" _...and I want to run them by you because I know you won't hesitate to tell me if I'm being even more stupid. I'll buy you coffee for the rest of the semester, but please help me!"_

"...fine. Let me get changed, I'll be out in ten minutes." Weiss cut the call, covering her face.

Twenty minutes later had them sitting at a table at Beacon Cafe. Weiss nursed her cup of coffee like it held the elixir of life itself, and she cut him off with a glare when he started babbling.

He grimaced and went silent, giving her the moment. Weiss inhaled the aroma, then took a judicious sip before letting out a pleased sigh. "Take a moment to order your thoughts, and then tell me. I'm not going to listen to you fumble for fifteen minutes to get your point across."

Jaune nodded, chewing his lip for a moment. "Okay. Okay, uhm. I've been a fool, Weiss."

"Somehow I am not surprised."

"I earned that." He even laughed a little, but the expression faded quickly. "I… finally realized last night that… Pyrrha, well…" He paused again, trying to find the word.

"Pyrrha's gone on you."

"Yeah. Yeah that. Since the beginning of the year."

Weiss raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "That long? You're sure."

He nodded jerkily. "And… I've been upsetting her without realizing it, and I want to make it up to her."

Words started pouring out of him, but as she'd asked he did his best to keep his thoughts and ideas in some manner of order. Weiss found herself setting down her mug, her amused smirk slowly widening.

By the time he was winding down, she was practically beaming at him. "I think that if you pull this off right, she'll love every second of it."

"You do?"

"Yes. So, to make sure you _do_ pull it off right? Here's how to go about doing everything. Listen close and write it down." She waited for him to fumble out his scroll and open a notepad application. "And I'll take notes for you for classes today. Don't worry about anything except pulling this off."

* * *

"Man, dude. You've got it bad."

Sun rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Can you blame me? Have you _seen_ her lately?"

"I've looked, not gonna lie." Neptune leaned back in his chair, shrugging. "She's hot, yeah. But don't worry, man. Bro code. I got your back."

"She's even _hotter_ now, though. She's… she's…" Sun gestured expansively, his can of soda nearly spilling when his tail curled. "She _struts_ now, dude. Like a _panther,_ not a housecat."

Neptune snorted. "Isn't that racist?"

"Naw man, it's cool. I'm glad that she's happy, you know? When we met, she was really down in the dumps."

"So ask her out!"

"Yeah, yeah. I want to, she's just been so _busy_ lately. RWBY's been working with all the refugees for the whole semester, Blake and I haven't even had the chance to grab coffee. Didn't even get a chance to hang at that club because of the White Fang assholes starting that riot." Sun shrugged. "What about you and Weiss? Don't you have eyes for her?"

Neptune wavered a hand in the air. "She's hot and all, but we never really got a chance to talk. I asked her to hit the cafe with me a week or two ago and she shot me down; said she was too busy."

"That sucks. Anyone else catch your eye? The dance is coming up, after all."

"Maybe not so much the _dance_ part, but… You know what? Yeah, a little bit. That Signum girl."

"Her? Sparred with her once before the riot. She's kinda scary, dude."

"Yeah, but did you see her _at_ the riot? She fought that guy with the chainsaw until she was bloody, and _then_ kicked his ass." Neptune whistled. "It was pretty awesome. And I'm not gonna lie, I like her hair."

Sun laughed, but a niggling sensation on the back of his neck stifled the humor. He turned in his chair, looking around.

Hayate Yagami was _staring_ at them, a half-smirk quirking her lips.

* * *

" _Ren! Hey, it's Jaune!"_

"So I assumed from your caller ID on my scroll."

" _Yeah, uh. Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyways, I need a huge favor."_

Ren perked an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

" _Can you and Nora… uh… could you two hang out with RWBY or the other teams for the evening? I kinda need the room for, uh…"_

Ren's other eyebrow rose to meet the first. "For…?"

" _...well I want to make Py-"_

"Consider it done."

" _That fast?"_

"That fast. Have a good evening, Jaune."

Ren ended the call. _About time._

* * *

That at least explained where Jaune had been all morning. _I wonder what exactly he's doing? Ah well, I'm sure I'll hear eventually._

 _Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. Entered into Haven Academy beginning of this academic year, forming team Vermilion with Viridian and Lateressa West. Team broken apart after the Wests had to drop out due to family emergencies in Atlas… and then reassigned to Cinder Fall and Sable Swift, which was another broken team… to form Team Caramels._

Chrono leaned back in his chair, spinning _S2U's_ card between his fingers. _Caramels. Seriously, Remnant?_

 _Other than that… nothing at all from either of them. It's like they're ghosts that just popped into existence when they started at Haven._ "Headmaster?"

"Yes, Mr. Harlaown?" Ozpin glanced up from behind his desk, where he was perusing a report of his own. His three compatriots were in the glass-walled office as well, reading from their files, and Lindy was enjoying a cup of tea at Ozpin's desk.

"I can't find _any_ file records for Sustrai or Black dating back past their entrance into Haven. Is that normal?"

"Hmm. If they were raised outside of the walls of a given kingdom, yes." Ozpin furrowed his brow, letting loose a small sigh. "The Grimm make it very difficult to maintain complete records with the smaller villages that stubbornly eke out their existences in the wilds. CCTS reception is spotty because the Grimm tend to tear down the repeater towers, and sometimes it is months or even years before a given village is able to send a complete census report, if ever."

"Lovely." Chrono waved the holowindow closed in disgust, rubbing his face. "This entire planet is a security nightmare. Once we're back in TSAB contact, I'm going to make a point of lobbying for a geosynch satellite communication net."

Ironwood perked up, raising an eyebrow. "I'm… not sure I follow. Geosynch?"

"A series of satellites that orbit the planet at the same speed that the planet itself rotates, so they always maintain the same approximate position in the sky. If we can solve the interference problem, they would provide the backbone for a communication system that even the Grimm would have no way of disabling. Alternatively, use electromagnetic transmissions instead of dimensional magics." Lindy sipped her tea, making a contented sound.

"The devices themselves are well within Remnant's ability to construct. The only reason your people haven't managed to do so already is because of Dust. You use Dust for everything, and Dust can't get a satellite into orbit." Chrono shrugged, grimacing. "I can't think of how to say these things without sounding offensive…" He trailed off.

"Speak freely, Harlaown. We'll take it with a grain of salt." Ironwood gestured for him to continue.

"I've done some research on Remnant's attempts at a space program. Your scientists have done the math, and they've done it right. S2U confirmed the numbers for me. It all just falls apart because Dust… stops working outside of the atmosphere."

Ironwood nodded slowly, digesting what Chrono said. "That is the wall that our scientists have been running into, yes."

The elevator door dinged and opened, and Shamal stepped through. "Ah, Headmasters. Mr. Branwen-"

"Qrow, please. I keep looking for my dad when people say that."

"...Qrow, Ms. Goodwitch. Lindy, Chrono."

"Shamal. Have you come to any conclusions?" Lindy smiled at the blonde knight.

"A few, yes. I think it would be prudent to ship in some of the equipment from the _Arthra's_ medical bay. They'll need to be boxed up and transferred from the hangar, though."

Qrow snorted. "What, you can't just shove it into one of your portable holes?"

Shamal shook her head. "No, we can't. The sensors and scanners are too sensitive for that kind of treatment; we'd have to recalibrate everything from scratch, which would be… _difficult,_ given the trouble we're still having with the mana field. But, I believe that I can at least move forward immediately with dealing with her physical injuries."

Lindy nodded. "I'll get the medical equipment sent over ASAP."

"Speaking of the Maidens…" Lindy tilted her head. "The Fall Maiden is under your protection as we speak. What of the other three? Where are they?"

The room went quiet, as the four Remnantites exchanged glances. "...we do not know. The Maidens are typically in hiding for extended periods of time, with a single bodyguard. They are supposed to maintain a low… no, a _nonexistent_ profile." Ozpin looked at his coffee, but for once left it alone on his desk.

"Winter was assassinated ten years ago. Her bodyguard reported the failure, and has... cut contact with us since." Qrow grimaced, looking at the ground. "We have been unable to locate the current bearer."

"Summer and Spring have been out of contact for the last year, since Amber was attacked. We don't know where they are, which… means that none of us can be made to talk, if one of us were somehow captured." Glynda frowned, gesturing helplessly. "It is not an ideal scenario, I know. But there are the four of us, against an unknown number of conspirators."

Chrono glanced at Lindy, and she gave him a small nod. "What are the chances that you can contact them? If you can get them here, our people can provide a solid defensive envelope."

"Unfortunately," Ozpin sighed, "we have no means by which to contact them. They will have to reach out to us."

* * *

Beacon's head chef raised his eyebrows. "You want to use the kitchen for a personal meal?"

The tall boy was obviously restraining himself from dancing foot to foot in anxiousness, nodding a few times. "Yes, sir. I'm already familiar with the kitchen furnishings and I bought everything I'll be using, so I won't be dipping into Beacon's food supplies at all." He had a bag of groceries in one hand and a _World Cuisine_ cookbook tucked under his arm.

The chef frowned thoughtfully, rubbing his jaw. "Well… you're from JNPR, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"You guys and RWBY _did_ keep the place pretty clean last time, so… all right. Go ahead and use the station in the corner."

"Thank you!"

* * *

"Pyrrha? Are you okay?"

"W-what? Yes, I'm… fine! I'm doing quite well. How are you?" Pyrrha felt _the smile_ fit itself onto her face in response to Nora's question, and she hoped that it would deflect the petite girl toward something else.

"Oh I'm doing great! Hayate and I caught Team CORL with the net traps! We even got them split properly between the two nets, and there was a bunch of pushing and shoving and you should have seen them blushing and Carmine _totally_ let out a moan which means she's _totally_ into Olive and I'm willing to bet a stack of pancakes they're still blushing at each other right now!"

There was a long beat of silence. "That's… wonderful?" Pyrrha offered.

Ruby was staring at the girl, blinking. "You worry me sometimes."

"Oh there's nothing to worry about at all!"

Ruby leaned back a little, seeing something in her eyes. "You d-don't have anything planned for _me,_ do you?"

"Weeeeeell….." Nora rocked side to side, and pulled a stack of flashcards out of her bag. "It really depends on who's taken and who's not as things go along. There's Operation Nuts and Dolts-"

"What."

"-and Operation Ladybug-"

" _What."_ Blake straightened up, eyes wide.

"-and Operation Milk and Cereal-"

" _What?!"_ Pyrrha and Ruby both blurted at the same time.

"-aaaand Operation Lotus Pe- What? No." Nora pulled the offending flash card out of the stack, ripping it to shreds. She glared over Ruby's shoulder at where Hayate was sitting the next table over, her face set into an expressionless mask.

The little brunette laughed wildly. Signum caught Nora's expression, and all four of Hayate's knights closed ranks around her, trying and failing to be surreptitious.

"Anyways. We have _plans,_ yes."

"Maybe you should keep your plans to yourself, Nora." Weiss let out a hmph, crossing her arms. "Ruby's your _friend,_ not one of your victims."

From out in the courtyard there was a _snaphiss_ and a yelp of surprise. "Speaking of! Gotta go!" Nora was off like a rocket, Hayate cackling as she ran close behind.

The five girls exchanged glances and shared a suffering sigh. Yang shook her head. "Well that's a thing."

"She's been… spending a lot of time with Hayate over this," Pyrrha added.

"I'd almost say it's _anorable-"_

Ruby groaned. "Stoooop!"

"But I'd _hayate_ to be that person!"

With no warning or fanfare, Blake pushed Yang's face into her bowl of salad. The blonde thrust her arms awkwardly into the air despite her position, calling out a muffled 'Worth it!'

Ruby just scooted a bit further away from Yang and Blake, ignoring their little scuffle. "Pyrrha, are you sure you're okay? You've, uhm… you're doing that _I'm-totally-fine-nothing's-wrong_ smile that you only do when everything really is wrong."

Pyrrha froze. _...hell. She can see right through me._

The thought itself made her pause even longer. _...she knows me well enough to see right through me._ Weiss was sharing Ruby's concerned look, and there was no surprise on her face. _They both know me that well._

"I… you're right, I'm…" Pyrrha shrugged a little helplessly. She didn't want to tell them; she didn't want to burden them with her problems. She was supposed to be strong, an icon, a… a beacon! _A beacon at Beacon. Never say that to Yang._

"You're…?" Ruby prompted her, silver eyes shining bright.

The sun passed behind a cloud, darkening the cafeteria.

Pyrrha felt bottled, under pressure, like she was about to burst at the seams. Like if she started talking she'd never stop and they'd have to knock her out to stop her screaming and ranting. She needed to keep it in, but it would be so _freeing_ to just _say_ it!

Her breath caught in her throat, and despite every effort the words squeaked out like air leaking from an overstressed balloon. "I like Jaune," she nearly whimpered.

Just like that, she felt _free._ The sun came back out, shining brightly, and the pressure in her throat drained away with her exhalation. She finally admitted it, for all and sundry to hear. Or… at least the table.

Ruby grinned. "Yay! We've been waiting to hear you say it!"

Pyrrha blinked. "...you knew? How could you… tell?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as well. "It was rather obvious."

Yang struggled free of Blake long enough to toss out a thumbs-up. Leaves of lettuce stuck to her cheeks, which she wiped away with her free hand. "Pretty much the only person in the academy who didn't realize it was Jaune!"

"What." Pyrrha blushed; she was sure her skin was nearly the same shade as her hair. She wanted to hide her face in her hands. "Everyone? Everyone knows that I like that… oblivious, bumble-footed, clumsy-"

"Pyrrha, calm down!" Ruby was reaching across the table for her hand.

"- _silly, adorable, caring-"_

Ruby pulled her hand back, eyes widening.

" _-idiotic, foolish idiot?!"_ Pyrrha slammed her fists on the table, and all the silverware for a dozen yards around jumped a few inches into the air and spun before clattering back down on the tables. Conversation stopped dead for a long moment, students looking around in confusion.

Pyrrha hunkered in on herself, covering her face. Embarrassment filled her; her mortified flush threatened to burn the skin of her palms.

A cool hand settled on her shoulder; it felt like a soothing balm against her heated skin. She made a noise, something between 'don't touch me' and a sobbing, helpless croak.

"Pyrrha." Weiss' voice was as gentle as she'd ever heard come from the heiress' mouth. "It's okay. It's fine, really."

"I-is it really? I just made a complete _fool_ of-"

"It's _fine."_ Weiss sat down next to her. "It's completely fine. We're your friends, not your adoring public. You can open up around us."

Another body thumped down on the bench, and Ruby pressed against her other side, giving her forearm a squeeze. Pyrrha slowly let her hands drop, taking a few tremulous breaths. "Th-thanks. Thank you, everyone. Really."

"We're happy to be here!" There was nothing but cheerful optimism in Ruby's tone.

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh a little, and she wrapped her arm around Ruby to give her a lopsided hug. "You know what he asked me last night, Weiss?"

"I can't say that I do. Do I want to hear it?"

Pyrrha couldn't stop herself from giggling a little, wiping her eyes. "I asked him if he'd… gotten an answer from you. He thought I wanted to ask you to the dance myself!"

"What?!" Weiss looked scandalized for a moment, cheeks going red. "That's… that _idiot!"_

"A-and! And then after I told him I like _tall, athletic blondes,_ he thought I was talking about _Yang!"_ Pyrrha started laughing harder, tears of mirth replacing the last hints of shame.

The blonde in question shrugged, holding her arms out wide and gesturing toward herself. "I can't say I blame him! What's not to like?"

Blake shook her head, and pushed Yang's face into her salad again.

Weiss shook her head and rolled her eyes, then patted Pyrrha's shoulder one more time. "It's going to be fine, Pyrrha. Don't worry."

* * *

"Signum, I need a huge favor!"

The knight turned and arched an eyebrow. "What favor would you be speaking of, Arc?"

"I need you to keep Pyrrha busy this afternoon until… uuuuh…" Jaune fumbled out his scroll, nearly dropping it in his haste. "...another hour in the kitchen, and…. Thirty minutes to get the… I need you to keep her busy until five-thirty! Er… Seventeen-thirty?

"Seventeen-thirty."

"And, uhm… Could you make sure she's… oh geez, how do I say this without sounding like a _creep…"_

Signum crossed her arms, tapping her unbound fingers against her bicep. _This will be good._

"Just… crap. Put her through her paces really hard, you know what I mean? Work her into the ground? Not that I'm trying to get you to beat her up, I don't want you to hurt her or scare her or anything-"

"You wish for me to make her work."

"Yeah! She's always in a good mood after she gets out of a good session with you."

"That will require me to unbind my arm."

Jaune grimaced. "Talk to the headmaster and admiral and see if they think you've had enough time?"

Signum let her head roll forward for a moment. _It would be acceptable to no longer have to pretend._ "I will see what I can do. Seventeen-thirty."

* * *

The two longcoated guards stepped into her path at the end of the tunnels, and she stopped in her tracks and threw a salute. "Veteran Specialist Schnee reporting for assignment."

"Specialist. Please submit your identification code?"

Winter recited the number from memory. The man nodded, while the woman gestured. Purple light washed over her, leaving behind tingles in her skin.

"Clear." The black-haired woman raised a hand in salute. "Welcome to Drydock Six, Specialist. I am Lieutenant Commander Lockheed. This is my partner, Lieutenant Galant." Lockheed's accent was thick, but grammatically correct. "If you will follow us, we will escort you to the site commander."

"Thank you."

Winter fell in behind them, climbing up the access ladder into the hangar proper. It was her first time seeing the _Arthra_ with her own eyes, and she had to admit that the pictures the Harlaowns had shown her didn't do the vessel justice. "She's impressive. Shame that she's so damaged."

"The _Arthra_ carried us through to the end. Maybe they will make a museum out of her, once Remnant and the TSAB are in open communication." Lockheed shrugged. "There are worse ends for an old warhorse to have."

They passed underneath the looming hulk of the _Arthra,_ into the offices tucked against one of the hangar's walls. They stopped outside one of the interior doors, and Lockheed knocked twice. "Sergeant Yagami, the VIP has arrived."

"Enter."

Lockheed pushed the door open, and Winter stepped through. A white-haired woman in a brown uniform was seated at the desk, waiting. Winter snapped off an exact salute. "Veteran Specialist Schnee reporting."

"At ease, Specialist." The woman's voice was as cool as the wind off the Atlesian Peaks. She rose to her feet, only slightly shorter than Winter herself. "I am Sergeant Reinforce Zwei Yagami, site commander of the _Arthra's_ hangar. General Ironwood informed me that you are to be his on-site liaison."

"That is correct." Winter kept her voice composed, matching the sergeant's perfectly. "In addition, I have been directed by Admiral Harlaown to familiarize myself, within reason, with your equipment."

"I was not informed. One moment." Yagami turned to the side, and her eyes unfocused for a few moments. Winter was just starting to frown when the woman perked white eyebrows. "Your statement has been verified. Lieutenant Lockheed, I will place Specialist Schnee's Device familiarization in your hands."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And Penny Polendina says that your sister says hello, Ms. Schnee."

 _What._ "Ah, thank you."

"You are welcome." Yagami sat back down behind her desk, bringing up a holowindow. The meeting was obviously over.

Following Lockheed toward her assigned quarters, Winter mulled it over in her head. _She said that specifically to get a rise out of me. She knows Penny, obviously…_

Lockheed turned toward her, looking faintly amused. "Please do not mind the sergeant. She is just having fun."

"You'll forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

Galant opened the door for her, and she stepped through to drop her kit bag on the room's single bed. Lockheed waited by the door, smirking. "Having a name like Winter? Reinforce will make it her mission to _out-cool_ you for the week. As I said, she is simply having fun."

"And the comment regarding my sister? How did she know?"

Galant snorted a laugh. "Reinforce is pretty much our version of Penny. They were probably chatting back and forth the entire time."

"I see." The thought almost made her shiver. _Heavens help us all. There are two of them now._

* * *

Pyrrha slumped against the door of her dorm room, fumbling with her scroll to get the lock disengaged. Her muscles complained with every motion, and her legs felt like jello underneath her. Signum had given her no quarter, and their back-and-forth had lasted for over twenty hard-fought minutes. Halfway through, every other fight in the arena had drifted to a stop, and students had actually started placing _bets_ on the winner.

Ren had uncharacteristically joined in and placed a modest bet on a _tie._ When Pyrrha and Signum had respectively eliminated each other with a thrust to the throat and a cross-bodied slash, he _cleaned house_ to a chorus of groans and shouts.

It was glorious; it was _amazing,_ and she was absolutely exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to fall in her bed and die happily. But, she needed to shower first.

The door finally clicked open, and she stumbled through.

The room was dark and quiet, with the afternoon sun blocked by the window's curtains. Pyrrha rubbed her eyes, reaching for the closet door to get her bathrobe from-

"What's this…?"

Her bathrobe was on the foot of her bed, underneath a small wicker basket stuffed with tissue paper. Pyrrha pulled the small note out of the middle, flipping it open. Flowing, elegant script met her eyes.

 _Pyrrha,_

 _Please take these, and leave your worries at the door. Take your time and relax after a stressful day._

The note wasn't signed, but she found herself grinning faintly regardless. _Oh come on, Jaune. I'm not made of glass, you kno- oh my._

Inside was a package of _Caress of Heaven_ bath bombs; she'd _heard_ of the brand before, but never thought she'd actually hold any in her own hands. They were _unbelievably_ expensive for what they were; she could buy high-quality ammunition for _Milo_ for the same price. They were a decadent luxury, a waste of money for the upper crust.

She couldn't wait to try them.

Pyrrha grabbed a change of clothes from her dresser, then all-but-floated into the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind her, and a flick of her semblance turned the lock.

* * *

The sound of running water burbled from the closed bathroom door.

"That was _too_ close. Do you think it's safe?" Jaune whispered.

"Shut up and get out there." Weiss whispered back. She threw open the closet door and squeezed out, careful to keep from making noise. "We're on the clock. Move."

Jaune hopped out as well, immediately going prone and digging under his bed. Four wooden legs and a table slid out from underneath, and he fumbled with a screwdriver. "C'mon, c'mon… crap!"

"Slow down, Jaune. Smoothness and fluidity lead to speed." Weiss gestured, and a black glyph formed around him, speeding up his time relative to his surroundings.

The table came together in scant moments, and Jaune flipped it onto its feet in the middle of the room.

Weiss kept out of the way, letting him work. ' _I'll tell you how to do everything you want to do, and I'll give you the time you need to get it done, but I can't do it for you,'_ she'd told him. ' _It's going to mean too much for both of you for me to be that involved.'_

Jaune had agreed wholeheartedly, and very nearly scooped her up in a hug. Thankfully, he'd caught himself before it turned into an issue.

The entire thing _had_ been his idea. The bath bombs, the room, the dinner, _everything._ She'd merely suggested the best brands, and the best way to go about making sure they'd have privacy.

Watching him rush to and fro in a flurry of activity, Weiss had to admit that the blonde dork was a _romantic._

 _He and Pyrrha are going to be so… cute. If he'd led with something like this while he was trying to go after me, I might well have listened to him._

 _Now that's a scary thought. Thank heaven for small mercies._

* * *

 _I swear, when everything is said and done I am going to take distinct pleasure in putting this cafeteria to the torch._

Cinder had been in the cafeteria for nearly half an hour now, answering the questions of various air-headed girls about the dresses she can tailor. She already had three definite orders, and two more would be giving her an answer by the next morning.

The entire time, she'd been forced to paint a smile on her face, and nod her head and laugh at their _idiotic_ jokes…

It was _tiring_ to be this 'nice'. But a role was a role, and she would play it as well as it needed to be playe-

"YOU!"

Cinder started, whirling around. The fire bubbled deep within her belly, straining to be let free- _to consume-_ but she forced it back down. Power was meant to be _used,_ not to be _used by._ She looked up the slightest bit to meet blue eyes. "What do you wa-"

"You're from Haven! Try this!"

There was a Mistralian style kebab hovering in front of her face; succulent seasoned meats and cubes of vegetables grilled to a light sear. For lack of a better response, Cinder took the offered kebab in her hand. The blonde boy was waiting anxiously for her to taste it. "I… I'm not actually _from_ Mistral-"

He turned away, already dismissing her. "Then you are _useless to me._ NEPTUNE!" The student ran off, holding out another kebab to a Haven-uniformed student.

 _Useless to me._

Cinder was left holding the stick, eyes wide.

" _I gave you ten years to find the Fall Maiden. TEN YEARS, and you give me nothing but disappointment." Salem put her back to the begging woman, flicking a hand in dismissal. "You are useless to me, Nausicaa. Begone."_

 _The Grimm tore the screaming failure to shreds. Salem turned toward her, ice-cold fingers tilting her trembling head up to meet her crimson gaze. "You will not disappoint me, will you, dear Cinder? You will not be useless to me, like Nausicaa before you?"_

 _Cinder didn't dare look at the strips of flesh and splinters of bone- what remained of her predecessor. "I will succeed where she failed."_

" _Good."_

Cinder gave her head a shake, forcing the unpleasant memory aside. _I will not be useless. I've already succeeded._ It was only a matter of time, she assured herself.

Mistralian spices caught her attention, and she looked at the kebab still clutched in her fingers.

She took a delicate bite. Her eyebrows rose.

"Well… it _is_ good."

Behind her, she heard the blue-haired boy yell. "Man, she's gonna love it!"

* * *

Pyrrha felt _heavenly_. The bath was everything, _everything_ that she'd been hoping for and more, and she was happily taking the time to give her hair the brushing that it had needed all week. _I can't believe he bought these bath bombs for me._

She'd spent every bit of half an hour soaking in the tub, even going so far as to partially drain and refill it when the water started to get cold. Her muscles thanked her; the trembling ache had subsided to a lingering soreness that was just enough to remind her that she had a fantastic workout.

 _All good things must come to an end,_ she sighed. Her hair was mostly dry, and for once she decided to leave it down while she slipped on a comfortable shirt and pair of pants. The girl in the mirror almost surprised her, she looked so… _simple and happy._

 _Finally talking to the girls really did help out._

Grabbing her bathrobe in one hand, Pyrrha unlocked the door and opened it.

She stopped.

Stared.

The bathrobe slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.

There was a table in the center of the room; a red tablecloth embroidered with bronze designs around the edges. Three bright candles in the center of the table provided a cheerful glow to the otherwise dim room. Two chairs sat opposite each other, and the table was set for two as well.

Jaune was standing at the other side of the table, fidgeting with nervous energy. Their eyes met, and he blushed. "U-uhm. Did you enjoy your bath?"

"It was wonderful, it… Jaune, what… what is all this?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, trying to laugh. It came out as an awkward cough. "I, uh. Well, I did a lot of thinking last night, and… I came to a realization."

"What… kind of realization would make you do _this?"_ Pyrrha felt that spark of hope catch light again, and it was everything she could do to ignore it. _Let him explain first. Don't jump to conclusions._

"Well, I… I realized I've been really stupid, and that I've been giving you a… a rough time without even realizing it. And I'm sorry. So, that's what this is- part of. Part of it is my apology."

"Your… apology? Part of it? What about the rest?"

"And the rest, well… I know you're enjoying being here at Beacon, but I couldn't help but think that you might be a little homesick too, so…" Jaune cleared his throat loudly, and the door opened.

Weiss was a picture of poise as she walked in, holding a covered platter in her hands. She set it down in the center of the table. As she straightened, she caught Pyrrha's eye and winked. The girl's words to her earlier ran through her head, light and honest. ' _It's going to be fine.'_

The heiress excused herself without a sound, closing the door behind her. Jaune swallowed, and lifted the lid off the platter. "...so I thought that I'd try to bring a little home to you."

The pile of kebabs smelled _perfect,_ and bits of her childhood flashed through her mind. Pyrrha raised her hands to her face, covering her mouth. She could feel the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, blurring her vision. "Jaune, I… I don't know what to say."

"Well, that's okay, uhm… because I do. I know what to say." Jaune pulled her chair out so she could sit down, then took his own seat across from her. He reached out across the table and took her hands in his, blushing faintly. "Pyrrha Nikos, would you… accompany me to the dance next week?"

Pyrrha started crying, but there was no sadness in her thoughts. That spark of hope fanned into a blaze, and she smiled through her tears. "Of course I will, Jaune Arc. Of course I will."


	25. Interlude 2

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Interlude - Old Shadows

While small by TSAB standards, the _Warding Gesture_ had been a planetary defense corvette owned and operated by the Saint King Church. The small vessel had spent its prime patrolling space near Administered World Twenty-Three, Ruwella. When the ship's service life came to an end she had been stripped of offensive weapons and delegated to a simple transport role, until finally after thirty-five years of service, had been mothballed and placed in storage at the libration point between Ruwella and its sole moon. That had been fifteen years ago.

She was old, underpowered by current standards, and slow. But, she was also still a corvette, and massed nearly a thousand tons across her fifty meter length. _Leti must have blown every favor she had to get this ship,_ Gil thought.

The crew was, as promised, all old TSAB Navy hands; all retired, and every one of them a volunteer. Twenty in number, all of them remembered the Harlaowns fondly, and had jumped at the chance to bring the _Arthra's_ crew home safe. Half of them had even served their last tour of duty aboard the _Hestia_ herself, and had witnessed that cruiser's last action against the berserk Book of Darkness some eighteen years previously. _Leti plays the game as well. For cleaner purposes, at least, but as well as I ever did._

Aria stood behind the captain's chair, the ever-present bastion of restraint at his right shoulder. Lotte paced between the duty stations, exuding barely restrained energy and liveliness.

The navigation console beeped, and the assigned crewman checked the screens. "We're coming up on the _Arthra's_ last known coordinates now. Transferring to normal space in five."

Gil kept the unhappy anticipation from his features, and gripped the arms of the chair. The _Warding Gesture_ didn't transfer to and from dimensional space as smoothly as a modern TSAB ship; yet another reminder that the ship was quite outdated. It had taken them most of a week to reach the coordinates, as her cruising speed was barely more than half that of an L-class cruiser.

The ship shuddered as it broke through the dimensional barrier, appearing in realspace in a flash of expressed photons. Gil forced the queasy feeling in his stomach down, clearing his throat. "Good work, gentlemen. Bring the local map onscreen."

This was their starting point. From here, they'd have to piece together the _Arthra's_ actions.

Gil glanced over his shoulder at Aria. She returned the look, and the faintest grimace tightened her face. ' _We're too slow, Master.'_

' _I know. The Lady Midday is faster than we are. We can only hope we're not too late to make a difference.'_ Gil scratched at his jaw, irritated by the stubble that had grown in. ' _Keep that transmission code I gave you ready to send at a moment's notice.'_

' _You don't need to tell me twice.'_

* * *

"Sensors. What do we have?"

"Space debris, sir. Spread out over a pretty wide area."

Gil nodded, expression tight. "Analysis?"

The sensor officer skimmed his fingers over his console, cursing a little. "Give me a moment. Resolution on this bucket isn't the best… okay. Spectroscopic analysis for most of the debris is consistent with Dimensional-grade hull materials, but not TSAB standards. Judging by the spread of the debris field… happened about a month ago, sir."

"Anything else?"

"Ah… yes. Some of it _does_ match hull materials used in TSAB vessels, and… shit. Center screen, sir."

An image came up on the main monitor. Gil rose to his feet. "That's the starboard bow mount of an L-class."

"Scanning. Confirmed, sir. It looks like the remains of the _Arthra's_ starboard primary."

The bridge was silent. Gil cleared his throat. "Then we can confirm that the _Arthra_ was here, and there is not enough debris from her to conclude that she was destroyed."

Aria stepped forward. "Scan for nearby systems that have planets in their habitable zones. If the _Arthra_ was heavily damaged, they'd need to stop and make repairs."

There was an upside to having a crew of old veterans. At least some of the deficiencies in the _Warding Gesture's_ systems were mitigated by the sheer amount of experience they brought to the table. It wasn't long before they had a list of possible coordinates.

Gil took his seat again, taking a deep breath. "Set coordinates and transfer to dimensional space. Let's start with the closest one first."

* * *

The _Warding Gesture_ flashed into real-space with the usual shaking of her hull and a wrenching of Gil's gut. He paid it no mind. "Sensors, what do we have?"

The planet was still some million kilometers away, but the _Warding Gesture's_ sensor array was more than enough to get basic information. "Oxygen nitrogen atmospheric mix, temperate, one G gravity at sea level." The sensor officer tapped a few commands, then frowned. "...dimensional scanners are coming up inconclusive. Something's interfering with the readings, but visuals are clear."

The image came on screen, revealing a planet swathed in color; the deep blue of oceans, greens and browns of continental land masses, the white swirls of clouds. The crescent of the planet's visible night side had a few points of light visible against the darkness. "Those look like habitation zones."

"Affirmative, sir. I'm reading four locations on the surface with massive electromagnetic footprints. If I had to guess, they're transmission centers of some form or- ...hold on a moment. I've got something else, the dimensional scanners… nevermind. It's gone."

Gil's blood went cold. "What was it?"

"I thought I saw a ship, sir, but there's nothing-"

Gil almost jumped out of his chair; only the clench of his hands on the armrests kept him seated. "Helm, all stop! Power down the drive core to minimal!" ' _Aria, send that signal now!'_

The helm officer turned to look at him. "Sir?"

"Do it!"

"Aye, sir! Powering down, all stop!" The constant hums of the _Warding Gesture_ vanished, and the lights dimmed to nothing and were replaced by red emergency panels.

' _Signal broadcasted, Master. No response.'_

' _Send it again! Keep sending it, we're already in the barrel.'_

A minute passed in tense silence, only broken by the whirring clicks of the backup environmental systems coming online.

"Sir. Encrypted transmission inbound. It's being bounced from a… a comm buoy, a thousand kilometers to port. It wasn't there a minute ago, sir."

 _Thank God._ Graham let out a breath. "Patch it through to my quarters. Take no action until I return."

"Aye sir, patching through."

Graham moved as quickly as his aging legs would take him, closing and locking the door. He opened the transmission, pulling the encryption code from memory. "Graham here."

" _That authentication code is eight years out of date, Graham. The hell are you doing out here?"_ The voice was electronically masked, but Gil knew it anyways. He'd worked with the man before, after all.

"I'm above board, Captain Grumman. My crew and I have been contracted by Admiral Lowran to find the _Arthra_. As far as the age of my code… Well, it's hard to get a new one when you've been retired, but I've grasped at thinner straws."

" _Only one that I can think of."_

"Any straw will do when you're sitting in the firing arc of an Arc-en-Ciel. I dearly hope you have good news, old friend."

" _Good and bad. The good news is that you're right on the trail; we've tracked the Arthra's drive signature to this planet, and have detected trace elements in the upper atmosphere to signify a hard landing."_

"A hard landing is good news?"

" _Better than an uncontrolled crash, wouldn't you agree?"_

"Fair point. You've located the crash site?"

" _Yes. The impact point is obvious, but there's no sign of the Arthra herself. She's been moved somewhere."_

Gil rubbed his face. "Grumman, what exactly is the _Lady Midday_ doing here?"

" _Classified. You're not cleared."_

"For God's sake, Grumman. We've worked together before, and I've been retired for eight years. If I was going to be stupid enough to spill the beans, I would have a long time ago."

" _Insurance, Graham. But you're right. We have worked together, and in this instance I find that my hands are tied."_ Grumman paused for a moment. " _There's an interference field around the planet. As long as you keep your wards up, it shouldn't cause a problem. Also, while we have taken some detailed scans of the field, we are not in a position to transmit them back."_

"We can do some scans, but our own scanners are rather dated."

" _That shouldn't be a problem. I'll send you the appropriate calibrations for your arrays."_

Gil nodded to himself, rubbing his chin. "You know I have to ask, Grumman."

" _Then ask."_

"The _Lady Midday's_ intentions regarding the _Arthra?_ Her crew?"

" _The Ifrit is three weeks out, Graham, and there are a lot of people moving on this, for good or ill. Like I said, I'm just here as insurance."_

 _Preparing for the biggest 'what if.'_ "I can't argue the necessity. Let's work together again, Grumman. You're running dark, but I'm not. I can move where you can't."


	26. Chapter 24

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 24 - Rolling With It

Sun Wukong had a favorite tree on campus. It was in the middle of the dorms' shared courtyard, growing up tall and wide right next to the first years' building. The branches were strong and sturdy, the leaves were nice and shady, and it didn't hurt that one said branch was very close to Team RWBY's window.

Not that he'd ever _take advantage_ of that, of course. No way, not him.

The fact that the girls almost always had the thick red curtain over the window nowadays didn't factor into his magnanimous view on the opportunity of a good view. No sir.

He was a good not-so-little monkey faunus, damn it.

Still, it was a great place to pass the time between classes. Or, alternatively, a great place to _skip_ classes. Who would look for a student sleeping the period away in a tree, after all? No one ever looked _up._ It just didn't factor into how people thought!

So Sun was very, very surprised to find a nondescript wooden box with a black ribbon tied around it into a little bow sitting on his favorite tree branch, with a little note tucked under the ribbon.

Sun wrapped his tail around the trunk for balance, carefully plucking the note free and opening it up. Blocky letters were printed onto the paper, and there was a small lien card inside as well.

 _Beacon Cafe has popular treats for everyone! Go buy yourself a snack! And while you're there ask about the order for 'schatten katze'._

 _P.S. Don't open the box. Good things come to those who wait!_

 _-Your friend!_

Sun sighed, shaking his head. "There is no way this is on the level. But it beats sitting around listening to Port." He picked up the box, noting that it barely weighed anything at all, and hopped down to the ground.

* * *

"I believe I may have misheard you. Would you be willing to repeat what you said?"

There was something _lurking_ in her crystal blue eyes; something that Neptune did not understand. It suddenly made him feel like he was standing in front of the headmaster, like he was being _judged._ It almost made him lose his nerve, right there.

But Neptune Vasilias was not one to be found wanting. He was a huntsman student, after all, and he'd faced down far scarier than her! _Students_ weren't scary in a world where the Grimm waited with slavering jaws. So he straightened up, squared his shoulders, and repeated his words. _Polish up the smile, let the light catch the pearly whites._ It was automatic, nowadays, to put his best face forward. "Signum, would you like to go with me to the school dance?"

The pink-haired woman stared up at him, not a hint of expression showing on her face, just watching him. After fifteen seconds, Neptune found himself really wanting to move. Shift a little, scratch behind his head, _something._ But he held his ground, because _showing_ the discomfort was unacceptable.

Finally, she tilted her head. "Neptune Vasilias, yes?"

"That would be my name, yeah."

"Do you even know _how_ to dance?"

His first instinct was to brush it off, but he caught that look in her eyes again. _Hidden depths._ His brain caught up before he could respond, and he realized that above all else, he did _not_ want to lie to _her._ But before he could respond, something else registered. "...not to answer a question with another question, but how could you tell?"

"I have some skill in reading people. So you believe you cannot?"

Neptune ducked his head a little, scratching the back of it with one hand. "...no, I can't."

"Hm." It was such a minimal sound. "I suppose it will not hurt to test the truth of that belief. Come with m-" She cut off, looking behind him. "Sun Wukong."

Neptune blinked, turning around. "Hey Sun, what's going- what the hell are you doing, man?"

The blonde monkey faunus was carrying a ribbon-wrapped box and a paper bag from the cafe just off campus, and had a note open in his hand. Neptune could see a few pieces of paper tucked into his pocket. "Oh, hey Neptune. Just… little game I found myself involved in. I'm supposed to find the… how the hell do I even say this?" Sun narrowed his eyes at the paper. "The… _Roo-hig wootend fyooer frow?"_

"Bless you," Neptune said.

"Oh shut up."

Signum heaved a sigh. "Your pronunciation is terrible, but you have found me." She produced another slip of paper from her pocket, holding it out. "I believe you are looking for this. Good luck on your… hunt."

"Sweet, thanks!" Sun took the note and hurried off. Neptune heard him exclaim something about the library. "Seriously?! I was just there!"

The pink-haired swordfighter shook her head, before turning her attention back to Neptune. "As I was saying. Come with me."

"All right. Where to?"

"The arena. We are going to spar." She turned, striding with purpose toward the arena building.

Neptune fell into step next to her. "What did Sun say, anyways?"

Signum pursed her lips, muttering under her breath. "It roughly translates to 'calm angry fire woman'."

Neptune felt a chill of realization flow through him. _I am in way over my head, aren't I._ "Ah. Lovely."

* * *

"...not him." Blake shook her head. "He's in Adam's back pocket, always has been."

Kasta raised her eyebrows, looking down at the dossier. "You're sure? He's always demonstrated moderate views in the past."

"I'm sure. It's all a front, Kasta. He lives to put on the mask and wreak havoc. I don't think he even cares about the cause itself, it's just a chance to be an anarchist to him." Blake took a sip of her coffee, washing the taste of memories from her mouth.

They'd been working for an hour now, in a private study room in the library. Kasta had brought Blake a _stack_ of dossiers to sort through, hoping that she'd be able to put some light on old White Fang supporters. It was a novel and bittersweet means of striking back against the Fang, and as Adam Taurus' old right-hand girl she knew a lot more about his close associates than many. The stack had shrunk considerably, separated into two piles of 'possible moderates' and 'die hard radicals.'

 _To be honest, this is kind of nice,_ Blake thought. Kasta was a fellow faunus, one who already knew that Blake was one as well. It meant there was none of the _awkwardness_ that Blake felt whenever she spent time near one of the other faunus Beacon students. Velvet was a wonderful girl, but Blake really didn't want to answer the _questions_ that would come if she found out.

Blake leaned back in her chair to stretch a little, and heard the door open behind her. She twisted around in her seat. "...Sun? What are you doing here?"

The blonde faunus looked up from the note in his hands, surprise on his face. He stuffed the slip of paper into his pocket and waved. "Hey Blake, was just passing through, and…"

"Just passing through?" Blake glanced at what he was holding, and then the scent of the pastry inside caught her attention. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him. "Sun."

"Huh?"

"Is that… a _Schneeball?"_ The snowball was a dry, shortcrust pastry ball coated in powdered sugar, of which the recipe originated in Atlas. The Schneeball was the Schnee brand name version of the treat; typically made with only the finest ingredients and therefore quite a bit more expensive than a run-of-the-mill pastry.

The Schneeball was also Blake's guilty, guilty pleasure.

Sun blinked, opening the bag and looking inside. "I… yeah, yeah, I think it is. Here, enjoy!" He handed the bag over, and then glanced at the box in his hand. "Oh, and I guess this is for you too."

Kasta leaned back in her seat, a grin widening her lips.

Blake set the bag down- _I'll make time for you in a minute-_ and took the box in her hands, raising her eyebrows. She plucked the ribbon loose, absently noting that it was the same fabric that she used to cover her ears, and gently opened the lid.

She caught a whiff of the fragrance first, and she couldn't keep the smile from forming as she pulled out a single red rose. "Sun, are you… asking me to the dance?"

"What are-" For a brief moment, Sun looked like a deer caught in headlights. Then his eyes seemed to light up, and he spread his arms out wide. "Sure, I-"

He stopped, cocking his head. "Do you hear…"

"A bell? Yeah. I wonder-"

"Blake!" Yang burst into the room, putting her back against the door after it closed. She had a familiar snowflake-emblazoned wooden box cradled under one arm. "Need a little help!"

Blake exchanged a glance with Sun and Kasta, then raised her eyebrows. "What do you need?"

"Help." Yang set the white-painted box down on the table, then unwound her scarf. Around her neck was a black leather collar with a little silver bell hanging from it, and a…

"...is that a _lock?"_

"...yes."

"Where's the _key?"_

"The note said it's in Weiss' jewelry box."

Sun raised both hands in the air, backing away. "Wasn't me, I was busy!"

Blake blinked, slowly. _That's why it was familiar, I suppose._ "And you didn't open it because…?"

"Because that key's in the box too!"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "So you came to me because…"

"...because I was really hoping you could pick the lock?" Yang hopped from foot to foot, worrying at the collar. "I don't think Weiss would forgive me if I broke her stuff, you know?"

Blake shook her head in mild exasperation. She reached up to pull loose the bobby pins that helped keep her bow in place, then turned the box to face her. "How did you end up in this situation anyways?"

"No."

 _In, push… there's a click. Again, little more… there's another…_ "No?"

"No way in hell." Yang crossed her arms, expression ever so slightly pinched.

 _Ah, she's embarrassed._ "I'll find out eventually. You know that."

"Then you'll find out then, not now!"

"Fine." One last twist, and the lock clicked open with a quiet _pop._ Blake opened the lid to look inside, and blinked.

There was no jewelry at all. She lifted out a dozen miniature red roses, all wrapped together into a tiny bouquet. "...Yang, are you trying to tell me something?" Blake glanced up at the buxom blonde, perking her eyebrows again. "Because this is pretty elaborate."

"W-what? What!? I don't-" Blake lifted the bouquet out of the box, even going so far as to smell them. Yang stammered, going a bit red. "I-is the key in there or not?!"

"Oh, it's in here. Both of them, even, which does beg the question of how you managed to lock the box in the first place-"

"I told you it wasn't me!"

Blake grinned, going on like Yang never interrupted her. "-but I have to say I'm rather partial to the look on you. It's even my color."

Yang's denials sputtered to a halt. Blood rushed to her face, tinting it glowing red all the way up to her hairline.

Sun coughed into his hand, clearing his throat. "As funny as this is, uh… Blake, I think she's serious about it being a mistake. As much as I'd like to take credit for bringing you that pastry, I got set up. Kept finding notes that had me on a little quest all morning and it ended here with you."

Her face scrunched up a little, and her bow, lacking pins to hold it in place, flattened a bit with her ears. "Nora and Hayate. I should have figured."

Yang's embarrassment faded a few shades lighter. "Geez. You too, Sun?"

The two blondes shared a sigh. Blake couldn't stop herself from giggling.

Behind her, Kasta started laughing as well. "I should go. We can continue later, Blake. Have fun, you three." The gazelle faunus grabbed the stacks of dossiers and slipped out the door, pulling it close behind her.

' _Have fun, you three.'_ Kasta's words rang in Blake's head for a moment, and she was struck by how _simple_ of a solution it was. "Okay, okay. We need to clear the air real fast."

"I thought something smelled!"

"Yang."

The blonde cackled for a moment, blush finally fading away.

Blake shook her head. "Sun. I do owe you an apology. I know you've been wanting to get coffee with me, but I've been really busy with the refugees."

"Hey, it's no problem. I'm just happy to see you in such a good mood."

His remark made her smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were going to ask me to the dance before Yang came in, weren't you?"

Blake didn't miss the slight darkening of Yang's features at the words, quickly hidden behind the brawler's usual cheer.

Sun scratched his jaw, shrugging. "I… well, like I said, the whole thing wasn't my idea, I got kinda led by the nose. But I'm not gonna deny that it's a _good_ idea, so… yeah, yeah I was."

She nodded, turning to Yang. "You've been thinking about it for a while, too, haven't you?"

Yang _blushed,_ looking at the floor. "I… it crossed my mind, but… we've got a good thing going already, you know? We're partners; _good_ partners, and friends. But that was… enough? I wasn't sure you'd be into it, so… I've been waiting for a sign, I guess."

Blake stared at her for a long moment, then reached out and swiped at the bell hanging from Yang's neck, making it ring. "You mind leaving this on for a day or two? I think it's cute."

Sun's grin had been widening the entire time, and he finally let out a guffaw. "How's that for a sign, Yang?"

Yang's face _burned,_ but her grin was even brighter than her namesake.

Blake stood up, taking the moment to smooth out her clothes and re-pin her ribbon, making sure she was properly presentable. "Well, I think Kasta said it best. So… Yang, would you like to go to the dance with me?"

"I… yes!"

"Sun, would _you_ like to go to the dance with me?"

"I already said yes, didn't I?"

"Well, what would you say about going to the dance with each other, too?"

Sun and Yang both stopped, looking at her blankly with identical expressions of confusion on their faces. Their gazes met, and they gave each other the proverbial once over.

Sun finally broke the stalemate, smiling wide enough to show teeth. "I guess she likes blondes."

"I can't say I blame her. What's not to like?"

* * *

"Ow, watch it!"

"You watch it! What are you even doing here?"

"Shh!" Hayate hushed Nora, rubbing her head and fighting for space to peer past the bookshelf at the study room's door. "I'm following Sun, I'm trying to pair him with Blake for the dance."

Nora's eyes widened, affronted as though Hayate had blasphemed pancakes. "But I was trying to pair Blake up with Yang! They're in there right now!"

"But… Sun's in there right now."

The door opened, and they flattened against the bookcase. Hayate found her face smushed against Nora's chest, and while it wasn't the most disagreeable position, it _was_ kind of hard to see.

"Oh. It's just my bookie." Nora let go of Hayate to wave at the faunus as she walked by.

Hayate blew her bangs out of her face, peering around the corner again. "So Yang and Sun are _both_ in there?"

"Sounds like it!"

"We might want to make ourselves scarce."

"And miss the show? What's wrong with you! I thought you were my inquisitor!"

 _I am, but Yang punches really hard._ Hayate kept the comment to herself, resigning herself to the wait.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. Sun walked out, followed by Yang, followed by Blake.

All three were smiling, Yang was still wearing the collar, and Blake… _that is the face of the cat that caught the canary._ She could only watch as the three walked past the bookshelf… but then Blake glanced back at her and Nora, and the look in her eye promised comeuppance.

Nora looked at Hayate.

Hayate looked at Nora. "...trios will be trio'd?"

"Not what I was expecting, but I'll take it!" They bumped fists, and Nora cheered. "All right! Who's next?"

Hayate felt a sudden rush of wind, and when she and Nora turned to look, all there was to see was a flurry of red petals drifting to the ground.

* * *

 _I just want to read my Grimm-bedamned book._

She finally had an hour of time free to herself. She was satisfied with her class preparation, she was up to date on studying, and there was nothing pressing going on with the TSAB teams or anyone else, so Weiss had gone out to the courtyard between the dorms to sit on a bench and enjoy her book. It would have been a nice way to spend the time.

The flutters of red and the scent of roses told her that she was not allowed to have nice things. With a heavy sigh, Weiss closed the book and rested it on her knees. She twisted around a little, looking at the bundle of crimson that was cowering behind her bench. "Ruby, why are you literally hiding in my shadow?"

"They got Yang and Blake!" The girl was trembling, eyes wide with apprehension. "They got Yang and Blake and they're gonna come for me next!"

"What? Who, Ruby?"

"Nora and Hayate!"

 _Oh._ Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you sure they're after-"

"I already dodged two net traps and a _pitfall_ they dug for me outside the cafeteria!" Ruby whimpered, peeking over Weiss' shoulder. "They baited it with _cookies!"_

Weiss narrowed her eyes, leaning a little closer to Ruby. _There are crumbs on her top._ "...you knew it was a trap, and you still went after them?"

"Well _duh._ I'm too fast for them to catch like that." Ruby absently brushed at the clinging crumbs, pouting. "I mean come on, give me a little credit. I just know that they're gonna keep upping the game, and… well…"

Weiss frowned, sitting back in her bench. _I suppose they are getting… elaborate in their schemes._ As if to punctuate the thought, Weiss heard a high-pitched scream echoing through the air, masked by the sound of rocket exhaust. "Seems like they got another poor girl in their clutches."

A rocket locker slammed into the ground not ten feet from them, still hissing smoke from its engines. The door swung open.

Jaune stumbled out, dizzy and green. He fell to his hands and knees in front of them, and through an obviously valiant effort, kept his lunch where it belonged.

He looked up.

Their eyes met. Jaune's face went from green to red, but not an embarrassed red.

A _frustrated_ red. Jaune staggered to his feet, taking a deep breath and shaking his fist at the sky, bellowing. "I already _have_ a date to the dance!" Slumping, he rubbed his face. "Hi, Ruby. Hey, Weiss."

Weiss and Ruby looked at each other, then back at him. "Hi, Jaune," they chorused.

The lanky fighter walked off, shaking his head.

Weiss glanced at Ruby again, sighing. "Case in point, I suppose."

Ruby settled onto the bench next to her, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Weiss watched her for a moment, and the frown came back to her face. _The suspense really is getting to her, and she probably is worried they're going to try to pair her with someone she doesn't know._

 _I much prefer when she's smiling and cheerful._

The idea that filtered through her thoughts made the frown fade away. "Hey, Ruby."

"Huh?"

"Why don't we go to the dance together?" She put the thought out there. _It's just an idea. Nothing to be anxious about._

"W-wha-" The girl stammered, blinking. "You and me?"

"Why not?" Weiss shrugged, nonchalant. "It gets them off our case so you'll be able to relax, and I'll say straight up I don't have the time or inclination to put up with their antics."

Ruby went silent, looking down at her hands. Weiss tried to make a show of not caring, even going so far as to open her book back up, but the letters on the pages seemed jumbled, like they didn't want to form words.

Suddenly she felt Ruby's arms wrap around her shoulders, and she found herself caught in a hug. "That's a great idea! It's perfect!"

Weiss let out the breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding, even going so far as to free up one hand to give Ruby a small hug back. "Oh calm down, you dolt. We're partners, and we've got each other's backs."

"Aw, Weiss, you're the-"

"Don't thank me yet." Weiss rose to her feet, dusting off her skirt. "If you're going to be going with me to the dance you're going to have to look the part, and I know for a fact you don't have a decent pair of heels. We're going shopping after class."

"...worst."

* * *

 _The things I do…_

At least the sky was bright and clear. Cinder tilted her head back, letting the sun's rays warm her skin, even going so far as to let the gentle warmth quell the burning thoughts in her head.

It helped her stay calm, which helped her maintain the facade. Maintaining the facade was paramount, _especially_ with _that girl_ sitting across from her at the picnic table.

Hayate Yagami. Self-taught seamstress extraordinaire and acclaimed _Cosplay_ Master, so she'd claimed.

 _Whatever the hell_ 'Cosplay' _is._ She hadn't asked. She didn't _want_ to know.

Cinder had carried her boxes of textiles and a sewing machine out to the central courtyard outside the CCTS tower, intent on working through her list of _sociability-proving good deeds._ She'd scarcely managed to put needle to fabric before the tiny, excitable brunette had spotted her, gushing something about _sharing the burdens_ and _companionship through hobbies_ in her oddly… _charming…_ accent before dashing off. She'd returned only a few minutes later with her own armload of sewing to do.

So, Cinder had been forced to make certain that her mask was firmly in place, and engage in _small talk_ with the petite girl. For all the world, she seemed like any other cheerful girl who happily nattered on about classes and the weather and whatever else inane drivel came to mind.

But something about her was _off,_ and it put Cinder on edge. She only caught the barest hints of it; sometimes the girl's comments and responses were a little too spot on, her observations about the other students a little too _sharp._

There were _secrets_ inside that silly brunette head.

Deep, dark secrets. The kind of hidden facets that Cinder would see looking at her own face in the mirror. _Except…_

"Ms. Yagami-"

"Hayate, please! I've told you twice!"

"Yes, of course. Hayate, what made you get into seamstressing? It's not something most huntresses would show much interest in… and yes I know how much of a hypocrite I'm being by saying that." _Give a little to get more in response._

"Oh, I've just always loved making clothing and costumes. Even when I was little I'd spend hours drawing up the ideas in my head. But it's so much _more_ fun to be able to share, you know?"

 _...except she's not putting on a mask. She's genuinely this cheerful, this openly happy._ Cinder couldn't help but be a little impressed by her outlook.

That realization made Cinder stop and reflect on it, so she leaned back and stretched her arms over her head, covering it with a 'much needed break' and closing her eyes.

Hayate Yagami was one of the refugees, who were the reason that her subordinates were functionally useless to her current plans… _Though that is more Emerald's and Mercury's faults than anyone else's. The boy and his wolf just saw trouble happening and responded accordingly._ She could respect that, if she was being honest with herself. _Better than Ozpin and his drones have managed so far._

 _And that's it,_ she concluded. The refugees had managed in the wilderness for eighty years, cut off from all of Remnant with only their own skills to keep the Grimm at bay, outside the kingdoms' influences. Sure, they'd eventually come crawling back to civilization, but even through all that this girl had kept her cheer.

 _So, yes. I'm a little impressed, and I don't mind feeling it. If she gets in the way, she dies with the rest, but I won't begrudge her for her happiness this moment._

Hayate's slightly breathy accent caught her attention. "So who are you sewing for, if you don't mind me asking?"

Cinder opened her eyes, coming down from her stretch. "Hmm. A few of your friends, I believe. Nanoha Takamachi?" She made sure to pronounce the strange name correctly.

"What?" Hayate lifted her head in surprise.

"And… the Harlaowns as well."

"What?!" Hayate looked _scandalized._

Cinder couldn't help the grin from coming to her lips. "Indeed. I promised Arf that I would be able to properly account for her tail, that the color would match both her tail and ears perfectly, so…"

 _Wait._ She remembered taking Arf's measurements the evening before, and suddenly it struck her. _She has a tail_ and _ears. She has a tail, wolf ears and no human ears-_

"Those... _wretched!_ INGRATES!" Hayate jumped to her feet, eyes afire and face twisted into a mask of rage. "They _know_ I'd be happy, _happy_ to make their dresses for them! They _know,_ and they spurn my generosity, my _magnanimity!_ I've sacrificed _everything_ to make them happy, and they turn away from me to ask for favors from some _unknown trollop-"_

Cinder found herself nodding along, knowing all too much how _that_ felt- " _Trollop?!"_

"Shh! I'm on a roll!"

"...right. Carry on."

"Thank you. _-_ for some _unknown trollop_ that they've hardly even met!" Hayate had one foot on top of the table, shaking her fists at the sky in anger. She was literally glowing, her Aura flaring brightly enough to shine white even under the sun. "Seven years, _seven YEARS_ we've been best of friends, and this is how they treat me?!"

"How _dare_ they," Cinder commented drolly. She propped her head on her hand, fingers pressed to her cheek, smirking.

"I _know!"_ Hayate thumped back down into her seat, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "I'll show them. I'll show _all_ of them."

She couldn't help it. Cinder snickered. Hayate tried to keep the frown going, but a chortle burbled past her lips, which set Cinder off completely. She let the laugh out, let it build, and felt weeks of stress that she'd denied feeling drain away. It felt _good_ to laugh freely; Cinder couldn't remember the last time she actually had.

A few too-short moments later, she wiped the tears from her eyes, still smiling. "When you decide what your nefarious vengeance will be, do let me know."

Hayate giggled, trying to show the feigned anger again. "Oh, you'll know! You'll know!"

"Be still, my beating heart."

Still, that hint of _something_ in Hayate's bright blue eyes made Cinder want to watch her carefully. _Her and all her friends, I think._

* * *

Fate looked up from her textbook, shivering at the chill running down her spine. "Did you feel that?"

Nanoha sighed, nodding. "Yeah. I think Hayate just found out we outsourced for our dresses."

* * *

It was early afternoon, and Professor Goodwitch's sparring class wasn't for another hour. The training arena was nearly empty, the floor only occupied by a few pairs of students. A few of them worked through weapon drills, but most of the action was taking place in the large center circle. Two figures, one tall and lanky and the other of middling height, clashed again and again. Orange sparks flared from the impact of halberd and sword, briefly illuminating their faces.

 _Opening!_ Her sword was pressed against the blade of his halberd. Neptune slid his hand down to drive the shaft against her leg-

Signum's plated knee slammed into his gut, driving the breath from his lungs and lifting him clear of the ground. Without his feet planted, she put her weight into her sword and cast him to the ground. "Stop. We are not fighting to win, Vasilias-"

"What do you mean," Neptune panted, climbing back to his feet, "we're not fighting to win? Isn't that the whole point of a match? I saw an opening and-"

"There was no opening, and you can not defeat me."

 _Ouch._ "A little uncalled for, don't you think?"

Signum took a few steps back, bringing her sword back to guard position. "I am not trying to beat you. I am _testing_ you. Come at me again, and stop trying to _think_ about winning. Feel the flow of the battle instead."

Neptune shook his head, but spun his weapon and advanced again. He knew better than to charge, at least.

Signum met him head on, and sparks flew once more. She stepped forward into his guard, and he took the one step back needed to keep her from getting too close, short-arming his halberd and swiping at her midsection to make her break off.

Her blade interposed, but her momentum was stopped. Neptune took a step forward himself, and she disengaged to the side. _Step._

The long sword flashed in the arena's lights, cutting toward his neck. He put his shaft in the way, grunting from the impact and planting his foot to the side to absorb the force. _Step._

There was that opening again. Neptune let it go, resetting his stance. _Step._

Signum narrowed her eyes, advancing. Their weapons clashed again, strike followed by parry followed by strike. _Step._

 _Slash, block, step._ The back and forth went on for nearly ten seconds, neither of them gaining or losing advantage.

 _Parry, step, strike, step._ A minute passed, every action falling into a rhythm; the beat of their feet against the ground, the ringing sound of metal like cymbals.

 _Step, strike, dodge, step, parry, strike, step-_

Signum _smiled._ Neptune caught the look on her face, the glint in her eyes.

 _Eyes blue like the ocean,_ threatening to drown him in their- His own eyes widened and he cursed, backpedaling out of the way of her next swing. _Gotta get away!_ He stumbled, tripping on his own feet and falling to a haphazard roll, and when he staggered to his feet he lanced charged rounds at her from his rifle.

Bolt after bolt slammed into her sword and scabbard, keeping her from closing in. Signum held her ground, one eyebrow raised quizzically. Neptune's gun _clacked_ empty, and he scrabbled for another clip, coming up empty.

"Stop." Her voice cut across the distance, and he blinked. "You were doing well. What happened?"

"I-" Neptune paused. _What did happen?_ "I was… watching you. And something _changed._ All of a sudden you were… you were _horrifying."_

Signum sheathed her sword, inclining her head. "Go on."

"Wait. Aren't you… upset? Don't most girls get upset when someone calls them horrifying?"

"Most, perhaps. To me, I find I appreciate the recognition. Continue, please."

"Shit, you _are_ scary." _That's it._ "That's what I saw. Your eyes, Signum. I've had Professor Goodwitch give me that stare of hers and it was nothing compared to what I just saw in yours. It's like there's a-" _don't say it you moron-_ "-a monster hiding behind your eyes, just waiting to get out!" _Good job, idiot._ "And it was paying attention to me and it was about to get free."

Signum rose both eyebrows, nodding thoughtfully. "I assure you that no such thing would have happened, but… that is quite perceptive of you, Vasilias."

"What, there's no hidden beast inside you? Or it wasn't going to get out?" He was finding his poise again, and managed a grin, smoothing his hair back.

"Both, but more the latter. But more importantly, I am done testing you, and I am satisfied with what I have seen." Signum gave him a small, restrained smile.

Neptune collapsed his rifle and slung it across his back. "Which means?"

"You have a proper sense of rhythm, when you let yourself feel it. You _can_ dance, you just do not yet know how. So, I accept your invitation to the dance, if you are willing to learn."

 _Yup. I am in way over my head. But that's okay!_

* * *

"Of course." Chrono waved away the surveillance report in disgust, and _S2U_ let the holowindow dissipate. "Should have figured."

"What would be the problem, Mr. Harlaown?" Ozpin glanced up from his own paperwork.

"Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. I've had the teams keeping tabs on them as much as possible, but they're already spooked because of the attention they'd already received. They're playing the student role perfectly."

Ozpin nodded slowly, lifting his mug to take a sip. "Even making the connection of who they are was a lucky break. I suppose it would have been too much to ask for to hope that they would be less than circumspect about it."

Chrono leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping a rhythm on the armrests. "So we have two of Amber's attackers right here on campus. We have to assume they're looking for her, and we have to assume they're not here alone. But, they've been making absolutely no contact with any outside sources, and any interactions they have other than the admittedly _heated_ ones between themselves are the ones forced on them when we're able to observe."

"Are we going to interview their team leader? Ms. Fall?"

"Hayate's already on that. She's Ground Forces Special Investigations. Cinder Fall's story so far stays true to what's on her student dossier, and she seems... disgusted at being saddled with a pair of troublemakers. Doesn't associate with them except when required by class schedule."

Ozpin sipped his drink again. "Do you believe her?"

"Whether I _believe_ Cinder's story or not doesn't factor in, Headmaster. She's directly associated with our suspects, and as such we have to take her into consideration. Our best bet with feeling her out is letting Hayate work her special brand of magic. Her cover for associating with Cinder is good; she's found a fellow clothes-maker to pal up with."

The headmaster nodded slowly, sipping his drink again. "Any other considerations?"

"Yes. The medical equipment from the _Arthra_ is being brought over today. I'm having Lieutenant Commander Lockheed and her section mate handle the transporting, and with your permission I'd like to put them on guard duty inside the vault until further notice."

"If you believe it prudent, I will not argue against the idea of additional protection. I assume they are capable?"

"Lockheed's my go-to for bombardment if Nanoha's not available, and Galant's an expert support mage. They're capable."

"I will need to speak with the others first, but I don't believe there will be any dissention. I'll notify them that we need to meet in person." Ozpin tapped on his scroll, nodding again. "What of Miss Sustrai and Mr. Black?"

"I don't think we're going to get anything else out of them. If this were a purely TSAB operation, I would suggest taking them into custody, and arranging it in such a way as to make as little fuss as possible." Chrono frowned. "What are your procedures for this?"

"Hmm." Ozpin leaned forward, tenting his hands. "Unfortunately, they have not technically broken any laws within the territories of the Kingdom of Vale proper. Their assault on Amber, by law, can not have happened because to admit such an assault occurred is to admit that Amber exists."

"Meaning? Because I know you're not saying we have to let them walk."

"I mean that we simply cannot prove reason to legally arrest them, Mr. Harlaown. As such, there is no conflict of jurisdiction between the Kingdom of Vale and the Time Space Administrative Bureau. However, if between now and your arrest of them you observe them breaking any local laws, please take note so that they can be properly charged. The more ways we can tie them down, the better."

"Duly noted. I'll need to talk to the Admiral, but we'll most likely apprehend them after the weekend is over. Doing it now carries the possibility of causing too much upset amongst the student population, what with the dance coming up this weekend."

* * *

Roman scooped up his scroll, rolling his eyes when he saw the codename on the screen. "Oh, what is it _now?"_ _I'd been really, really hoping she'd forgotten about me…_

He thumbed the screen, then held the scroll to his ear. "Talk to me."

" _I hope you've been having a productive week."_

Cinder sounded _off,_ somehow. Her words weren't quite as sharp as usual. He was _immediately_ on edge. "You could say that. How are things on your end?"

" _Good and bad. You should be aware that the children have been burned-"_

"Literally or figuratively?"

She _laughed,_ light and rich _._ Roman held the scroll away from his ear, staring at it like it was going to bite him. " _Their attempt a few weeks ago has caught up to them, so we have moved to contingencies. I just thought you would appreciate knowing that they have eyes on them."_

 _I called it! I called it when it happened, it was gonna come back to bite them in the ass._ Roman kept that thought to himself though. "I do appreciate it. Though I have to ask, you don't sound… too torn up about it?"

" _They still serve their purposes, Roman. Though because I can't depend on them to get things done for me now, I'll be looking to you and little Neo more often."_

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Something about her tone of voice was still _wrong._ She sounded too relaxed, too _languid._ Almost husky, throaty… _no. No way._ "Cinder?"

" _Yes, Roman?"_

"Cinder dear, did you get laid?"

Instead of spitting proverbial fire through the scroll connection, she actually laughed _again._ The sound had him thinking of _hot chocolate._ " _No, Roman, though that is a good idea. What are you doing later?"_

 _Did she just-_ "Maintaining my purely professional relationship with you. Besides, you're way too hot for me to handle." He was not touching that with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

" _Such a shame, Roman. Well if you're so intent on condemning me to a lonely evening all to myself… I do have something for you to look into."_

"Oh, wonderful! I was just looking for something to do."

" _Find out what you can about the group of refugees from a crashed airship. The…_ Stairway to Heaven, _I believe. You haven't by chance heard anything already, have you?"_

 _Son of a bitch, are you serious?_ "The _Stairway to Heaven?_ Well, I've heard a few things… but stealing from refugees is pretty low, you know. Even I have standards."

Roman let the silence go for one, two heartbeats. _Good enough_. "Yeah that's a line of bullshit. Already cased the ship. It's nothing but scrap, and they'd already moved whatever Dust was left in the lifting arrays by the time I closed in. What's this about the refugees themselves?"

" _A dozen of them are attending Beacon, arranged as Teams CSAL, NAVY, and ZFSH, and I don't have any information on them. I realize I may well be sending you on a fool's errand."_ She paused for a moment. " _Though you may be interested to hear that they are working closely with the first year teams RWBY and JNPR."_

"I'll see what I can do. Enjoy your evening, Cinder. Maybe you can make some kid's lucky night."

She _purred_ her next words. " _I just might. Have a good night, Roman."_

The call disconnected.

Roman _shuddered._ "That poor lucky kid."


	27. Chapter 25

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 25 - Suspicions and Restraint

Holding the dress up by the straps, Cinder let herself be a little impressed with the quality. _Not bad at all for a rush job._ It had been _years_ since Cinder had put thread to needle, and she could hardly even tell.

The dress was cut to cling to Arf Harlaown's generous curves and was a clear sapphire-blue to complement her hair and the fur of her ears and tail. There was even a cunningly-tailored flap for her tail at the rear, and judicious bits of white lace would keep unbecoming wardrobe malfunctions at bay. _More than good enough for a silly little school dance._

 _Ears and tail._ Cinder chewed on that thought for a moment, thinking back to the fitting session. The buxom faunus girl had been full of life and cheer, laughing uproariously at a joke Cinder had told and displaying teeth that were _far_ too sharp to be human. _Ears, tail, and teeth. The other one has ears and a tail as well…_ She couldn't remember ever seeing another faunus that had two or more obvious animal features; it was always a single obvious trait and a number of subtler ones.

 _Eighty years in the wilderness. Perhaps their parents had too much Dust in their diets._ It was a possibility, but it felt… flimsy, as a reason. _Or maybe they're just strange._

Nanoha Takamachi and Fate Harlaown had been easier, respectively. While taking their measurements, which apparently the two had considered a novel experience from the sheer _normality_ of it, Cinder had noted that they both had bits of personal jewelry that they always wore. When she'd asked about them, letting her honest curiosity color her tone of voice, Fate had explained that they'd never developed the tradition of personal symbols the way the Kingdoms had after the war. Instead they had personal baubles; physical possessions of personal and sentimental value.

There was also the fact that when asked who they were going with, they'd simply glanced at each other and smiled.

So, Cinder had matched the color of their dresses to their individual jewelry. Nanoha's dress was a floor-length evening gown, cut of red fabric to match the garnet sphere of her necklace. Fate's was a similar cut, as golden yellow as her hair and the gem-like plate she kept pinned to her uniform.

 _Emerald was right,_ Cinder thought, _but not for the reason she gave._ It had been relaxing to distract herself from the _plan_ for a little while; Her laughing fit from Hayate's antics was what had driven the point home.

Cinder found the irony itself amusing, even; finding her way into Salem's service had gotten her _away_ from the life of seamstressing and tailoring that she'd been trapped in. Before her Aura awakened, before Salem's agents had found her, her sole calling had been the needle. Because it was the thing she was _good_ at, it became her profession. Because it was her profession, it became _menial._

So Cinder couldn't help but laugh quietly at having found herself come full circle, back to the needle and thread that had started her life and condemned her to drudgery, finding solace in the simple motions of sewing.

She folded the dress and packed it away, resolving to properly iron it when she returned to her room. The afternoon was just too nice to sequester herself away, and the picnic table had turned into her _spot_ over the past few days.

Casting her gaze across Beacon's central campus, she noticed a delivery truck pulling up to the CCTS tower's entrance. Three figures climbed out of the cab; two white-uniformed delivery people and-

-and Winter Schnee. _General Ironwood's right-hand woman. Powerful, capable. Straight forward. Single-minded. Linear._

 _Rook._

Still, it was interesting to see the Schnee ex-heiress here in Vale instead of cracking the whip back in Atlas. Cinder watched with interest as the two delivery people, a brown-haired man and a black-haired woman, opened the back of the truck to reveal several large wooden crates emblazoned with Atlas' official iconography. They loaded the crates onto a wheeled cart, and without further fuss pushed the crates inside.

Schnee waited until both of them were inside before she closed the back of the truck, climbed back into the cab, and drove off.

Cinder blinked, and her own reaction surprised her. _This is strange. Why is this strange? They're dropping off equipment of some sort. Specialist Schnee escorting them as they drop off Atlas equipment, most likely for the CCTS._

 _Specialist Schnee escorting them and then leaving._

 _Leaving without them._

Cinder straightened in her seat, feeling suspicion take root in her mind.

* * *

"How often do you _do_ this?" Ruby tried to keep the whine out of her voice, but it was _hard._ The tailor's fingers were _cold_ and the tape measure was _cold_ and she had to hold still and-

"Every time I get a new dress made." Weiss tolerated her attentions without complaint or motion, standing completely at ease as her measurements were taken.

Ruby bit her lip and did her best to suffer in silence, glancing around again. The private fitting room at the back of the _super high class clothing store_ Weiss took her to was large, spacious, and _sterile._ The walls were a clean white, the black-topped marble counters were devoid of dust, and the cushioned chairs and benches had a spotless gleam to their leather finishes.

Beacon's infirmary was more comfortable to be in, she was sure.

It was also so _quiet._ So quiet that the nearly-inaudible rustling of fabric seemed loud enough to hurt her ears. She couldn't help but speak just to break the silence. "How many dresses do you _have?"_

"How many holidays in a year?"

Ruby thought for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. "Okay, I guess that's-"

"And each birthday."

"Okay, so that's a few-"

"My father has been making me attend functions since I was eight."

Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. "That's _horrible!"_

"I know, believe me. My closet is bigger than my bedroom."

"Not that! I mean, that's not _addition!_ That's _multiplication!"_

Weiss reached over and bapped her on the head, smiling. "Be quiet, you dolt. You do more math than that every time you calibrate Crescent Rose."

"W-well yeah, but that's _friendly_ math! That's calculus, it's easy!"

"Calculus is easy _what?!"_

"It is! I have to use my scroll for multiplication!"

Weiss started sputtering. "How- what are- that's- that's absurd! You're absurd! You make no sense, Ruby!"

One of the tailors cleared her throat. "Ms. Schnee, we have everything we need."

The heiress regained her poise immediately, turning to acknowledge the woman. "Excellent. I require that the dresses be ready by Saturday morning."

"Of course, Ms. Schnee. However, that will require us to put in extra hours…?"

"I understand completely. Draft an appropriate contract for me to sign. Payment contingent upon timely completion of my order. We'll be here for another hour, browsing your accessories. Bring it to me when it's completed."

"Yes, Ms. Schnee." The two tailors hurried away.

Ruby let out a breath. "How much extra are those dresses going to cost being rushed like that?"

Weiss casually inspected her nails, pursing her lips. "It doesn't matter. I'll be charging them to my father's card."

"Really? Isn't the whole point of… well, you know. Having money, I mean? Isn't that so we can buy things ourselves?"

"It is, yes. But my father _insists_ that a Schnee look his or her best at all times, so you can damn well believe that he gets to pay for this when I'm following his exact wishes." Weiss glowered at the wall, and the blue of her eyes seemed to chill a little further. "He gives me precious little else."

"Aw, Weiss…" Ruby didn't even have to think about it. She pulled Weiss into a hug, ignoring her partner's squawk of protest. "I'm sorry that your father's like that, but if there's anything _we_ can do, you know you can talk to us."

Weiss stopped struggling, huffing a sigh. "I know that, you dummy." She took Ruby's hand in hers, and Ruby felt cold fingers tighten for a moment before Weiss slipped out of the hug, tugging her along. "Come on. We still need to fit you for shoes, which means I need to teach you to walk in heels."

"Aw, Weiss! Not the lady-stilts!"

"Yes, Ruby. The lady-stilts. Short ones; we can't have you towering over me."

"Fiiiine."

* * *

"Come on, Ruby. You _dance_ when you're swinging Crescent Rose around, and don't tell me you don't." Weiss was walking beside Ruby, an arm held out for the black-haired girl to hold onto while she wobbled from side to side. The younger girl was wearing a pair of black two-inch heels that thankfully fit her feet perfectly.

"I'm _trying!_ This is hard!" Even as she said it, her ankle twisted and she stumbled sideways into Weiss, letting out a giggling shriek. "How do you fight in these things, Weiss?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, easing Ruby upright again. "My boots are wedges, it's a _little_ different. Even I don't understand how Pyrrha manages. Come on, just keep moving forward. Don't put your whole foot down at once. Balance on the point and then roll forward."

"It feels like I'm about to fall over when I do that!"

"It feels weird, but it's the way to do it. Just take shorter steps, but don't mince. Come on, another step. Sure it's a little hard to figure out, but it's worth it."

"So you mean like you, right?" Ruby grinned at her. Weiss stammered and shoved Ruby over, blushing furiously.

Five more minutes of giggle-fit inducing failure passed by, until Weiss finally called for a break. Ruby dropped bonelessly into a chair, raising her legs to glare at the strappy heels clinging to her feet. "These things are totally out to get me! I'm gonna wake up tomorrow morning and they're gonna be sitting on my headboard, ready to murder me!"

Weiss snickered. "Oh stop it, they're not that bad." She looked around for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to help Ruby figure it out. _It should be easier than this, but for some reason I can't show and tell how to do it at the same time…_

Motion caught her eye, and she leaned around Ruby to look. There was a little redheaded girl browsing through the skirts nearby, but what caught Weiss' attention more than anything was the fact that she was wearing heeled boots of her own. _Geez, those are three-inch heels at least and she's still shorter than I am in bare feet. She's positively tiny!_

Tiny, but also perfect for Weiss' needs. "Just a second, Ruby."

"Kay." Ruby glared at her feet again.

She got to her feet, walking quickly over to the girl. "Excuse me, miss?"

The girl looked up, surprise on her features.

"I'm trying to teach my friend how to walk in heels, but I'm having a little… trouble. Would you mind demonstrating for us?"

Bright green eyes blinked twice, and she glanced over at where Ruby was sitting. After a moment's thought, she nodded.

"Great," Weiss smiled. She led the girl back over, clearing her throat. "Ruby, this is… ah, what's your name, miss?"

The girl just shrugged, putting a finger to her lips and smiling. Her eyebrows moved up and down, and she made a playful _shh!_ sound.

"...right. We never saw you, so we can't tell your dad where you were. That…" Weiss trailed off. _I really wish I could have gotten away with that kind of thing…_ "Anyways, Ruby, she's going to demonstrate for us so I can point out what she's doing, okay?"

"Okay!" Ruby grinned at the girl, reaching out to offer her hand. "Nice to meet you!"

The girl matched Ruby's grin and shook her hand, then took a few steps back, emphasizing the _clack_ of her heeled boots on the tiled floor. She bowed theatrically, then turned sideways, holding out one foot. Her eyebrows rose, as if to ask 'ready?'

"Please begin." Weiss made sure Ruby was paying attention while the girl took her first steps. _Clack, clack._ "Okay, you see how she's doing just what I'd told you? She's leading with the heel, then rolling forward onto the ball of her foot."

"Geez, you two both make it look so natural. There's nothing natural about it!" But despite her complaint, Ruby was watching intently.

"...I'll give you that. Still, her posture is perfect." The girl preened at the words, adding a little pep to her step and spinning around to pace in front of them again. "Also, notice that she's not looking at her feet at all? She's not worried about placing her feet perfectly, she's just thinking about going where she's going."

"I guess so…" Ruby frowned. Weiss could see the gears turning in her partner's head. The connection was _almost_ there, it just needed one more push to really set in. She wracked her brain trying to think of the perfect example that Ruby would understand.

 _Come on, Weiss. This is Ruby. She thinks about strawberries and cookies and weapons and… that's it!_ "Like Crescent Rose, Ruby! When you're shooting at a Grimm, you don't look _at_ the sights, right? If you do that you'll miss every time. You look at the _Grimm_ through the sights, because you know that the sights are lined up and everything's going to work fine!"

"...oh. Oh, that's… wow. That makes a lot more sense."

"Yes! Don't worry about your feet, just worry about where you're going. Your feet will get you there." Weiss looked up at the girl, smiling from their success. "Could you do back and forth a few times, instead of side to side? Let Ruby see you coming and going?"

The girl grinned salaciously, putting one hand on her hip and raising the other hand up as though she was holding a martini glass between her fingers. She turned away, letting her gait sway side to side with each step.

Weiss found her gaze dropping down to the girl's swaying hips, and she felt her face go red. She ducked her head to find Ruby looking up at her, a blush coloring her own cheeks as well. "That… wow. Suddenly I understand, Weiss. It's totally worth it."

"D-Dolt."

* * *

 _Milo_ flowed in her hand like an extension of her body, meeting _Laevatain_ each time with the ear-piercing screech of steel against steel. Signum's scabbard slammed forward, crashing into _Akouo_ and forcing Pyrrha to take a step back.

Signum took the opportunity, and _Laevatein_ cut down toward her head with a whistling shriek of splitting air. The strike was quick, as fast as lightning.

Too fast. Signum had rushed the attack, hadn't properly set her stance. Pyrrha tucked forward, under the blow, and slammed her shield into the _Wolkenritter's_ chest with all the force she could muster. The knight stumbled back, losing her footing and falling back into a roll.

She was on her feet in a flash, sword and scabbard raised to ward off the next attack, but Pyrrha didn't pursue. Instead she frowned. "You left an opening."

The woman's face, so disconcertingly similar to her own, twitched. "I _left_ no such thing. That was a good blow, Nikos."

Pyrrha shook her head. "That's not what I mean. You don't leave openings, Signum. Not like that, and especially not for me." She let _Milo_ lower, concern making itself known in her frown.. "Something's bothering you."

Signum's face tightened. _Laevatain_ slid into its scabbard with a sliding clack, and she straightened. She turned away, looking off to the side.

The silence drew on for a long moment, then another. Pyrrha shifted on her feet, returning _Milo_ to her hip. "I… I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't-"

"A question, Nikos."

She blinked. "Hmm?"

Signum still hadn't turned back toward her. "How do you deal with… hormones?"

 _That_ wasn't what she expected to hear. "Say again?"

"Hormones. Chemical messengers carried through the blood that cause physiological reactions."

"I… I _know_ what hormones are, Signum."

"How do you deal with them?"

"I, uh." Pyrrha blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. She never _had_ dealt with them herself, she'd just… pretended they weren't there and put on the _smile_. "I… I'm not really the best person to _ask,_ you know."

"But you are here now, and it is a question that I find relevant."

 _Relevant?_ "I thought you were a-" Pyrrha glanced around, making sure none of the other students were close enough to eavesdrop. Closest to them and still a dozen yards away, Vita was hammering away at Cardin Winchester, and the jockish trainee was giving back nearly as good as he got. The sounds of mace and hammer striking armor or each other was more than loud enough to keep anyone from hearing their conversation. "-a magical energy being?"

"And for the last month I have been simulating human biology all the way to the chemical level. Hormones are… an _aspect_ of biology that I am therefore subject to." Signum hesitated, narrowing her eyes at nothing. She looked almost _angry_ at herself. "It has been well over a thousand years since I have felt such impetuses, and I do not know how to… account for them."

Pyrrha couldn't help but start laughing. "You… you do realize we're in the same boat, right? I mean, you're a lot older, but I've been trained to fight since I was old enough to hold a weapon, and never had time for anything else."

"But you are with Arc now, are you not? You are a living being, not magic in living form."

Pyrrha felt her cheeks redden, and she tried to stifle her giggling. "No! I mean, yes, but I… I mean, he just asked me to the dance! I wouldn't even call it dating... yet! I don't know the first thing about… _how_ to… you know…"

"I see." Signum lapsed into silence.

She took a moment to get her blush under control, then stepped a little closer to speak a bit more quietly. "Why do you ask, Signum? What brought this on?"

Signum didn't respond immediately, taking a moment to adjust the straps on her gauntlets. After a moment though, she spoke. "Neptune Vasilias asked me to accompany him to the dance. I tested him."

Unbidden, images of their training sessions flashed through Pyrrha's mind. Almost dreading the answer, she asked the obvious question. "That's… okay. He passed, I take it?"

"He did. He is admittedly attractive, and while he hides his insecurities behind a veil of feigned competence, he… what is the phrase?" Signum paused for a moment, thinking. "To borrow a term from an Earth sport, he steps up to the plate even when his confidence falters. It is an admirable quality."

"That's a good thing, then."

"I made a misstep while testing him. I fell too far into the moment." Signum glanced at Pyrrha, meeting her eyes. "It… you must understand, Nikos. I am a warrior. To see the realization in an opponent's eyes that causes them to fall away in fear, it is… an acquired taste, but one that I can enjoy. However, to see that same fear in my opponent's eyes and then to see them strive to conquer it? For them to keep fighting, knowing they are outmatched? The taste is far, far sweeter."

Pyrrha blinked, leaning back a little to look at Signum a bit more carefully. "...what happened?"

"As I said, I fell too far into the moment. For an instant, I stopped thinking it of a test, and… he caught a glimpse of what I am, not what I show. And instead of fleeing outright, he…" Signum trailed off, heaving a sigh. "It was only for a moment, but… as I said. The taste was exquisite, especially from one so…"

Pyrrha nibbled her lip. _This is starting to sound a little… odd._ "...young?" She offered, _hoping_ it was the wrong word.

"Unsoiled. He has not yet been stained by war and conflict, and yet when faced with the hint of the monster lurking below, he did not break and run." Signum muttered a curse under her breath. "So, you understand my problem. Normally, while I would find such a combination of traits admirable, now I find myself _attracted."_

 _Phew._ Pyrrha let out a breath, then gave Signum a small smile. "If you were… well, if you asked me a week ago, I'd still be… bottling everything up and going nowhere. Now, I would just say… try to do what feels proper. You do not let adrenaline rule your actions, do you?"

"Again, a hormone that I am not particularly used to."

Pyrrha rubbed her face. "...but you _like_ fighting. Battle ardor, then."

"...accurate."

"I would think it's much the same with this. Don't let your… hormones… dictate your actions, but don't ignore them completely. Do what feels proper." Pyrrha smiled again, and put a hand on Signum's shoulder. "And, more importantly, you're not a monster, Signum."

Signum sighed again. "Were it so easy."

* * *

Three hours had passed.

Cinder had finished her work on the last few dresses she'd been commissioned for, and had spent the last hour enjoying the slowly-descending sun and watching the CCTS entrance. The day had passed pleasantly enough, and one by one her clients had stopped by her table to pick up their orders. Their words of praise were music to Cinder's ears, and her demure responses, while only small talk, were genuine.

It _had_ been a pleasure to work on them, after all. _I may have to do this more often, if I can find the time._

But now, her attention was solely on the tower, waiting for the two delivery agents to emerge. The seed of suspicion had taken root in her mind, grown and bloomed into careful thoughts. She had a gut feeling that they weren't going to come out. _What did they bring inside, and why? If they're not leaving, that means they're staying with it. If they're staying with it, that means they're not deliverers. They're guards._

She slowly packed her things, thinking hard.

* * *

Winter stood with Ironwood at the edge of the training arena, watching the various students practice. It was later in the afternoon now, and for the time being the only ones inside were the TSAB refugees and their Beacon handlers. "I have to admit I'm impressed, General. Not just by their technology, but by how they've adapted."

"They've been working hard for over a month now, Schnee. I have it from Admiral Harlaown's own mouth that their combat mages are the best of the best. They all have the drive to succeed at whatever they throw themselves into." Ironwood nodded toward the large center circle, where Team JNPR was facing off four-on-four against Team NAVY. "Remember that they're all military. They've already been through boot camp and specialist field training. Half of this is just applying what they already know to new situations. A mark of the elite."

"Yes, sir." Winter watched for a long moment before glancing off to the sides, surveying the rest of the room. "...ah, General? My sister has just arrived."

"At ease, Schnee." Ironwood inclined his head.

She sketched a quick salute before walking away, moving around the occupied sparring circles to approach Weiss. The easy laughter and comradery between the TSAB members was clear to see, and the Beacon teams weren't left out.

As if to drive the point home, Weiss was speaking to two of them when Winter arrived; the shortish, pink-haired swordswoman and the tall wolf-faunus… _No, familiar. It's an important difference._

"...realized I never actually… _thanked_ you two for saving me during the riot," Weiss was saying.

The man rumbled deep in his chest, but it wasn't an angry sound. "The role of a guardian beast is to protect others. It was my honor and privilege to do so."

The woman nodded along with his words. "We do not fight for our friends to be thanked, Schnee."

"I- I know that. But I still realized that I should say it. So, thank you. Both of you. Really." Weiss hesitated for a moment, then darted forward and _hugged_ the tall familiar.

He blinked, looking down. Weiss didn't even come up to his shoulders, it was almost comical. Winter smiled behind her hand at the wolfman's expression as he awkwardly lifted a hand and patted Weiss' head.

Winter cleared her throat, and Weiss almost _jumped_ back, back going straight as an arrow. "W-winter!" She blushed. "I- I'm sorry, I've been remiss in my duties. Signum, Zafira, this is my sister, Winter. Winter, these are Signum and Zafira." She gestured to the two respectively when she said their names.

"Hello, sister. Don't mind me, I was just coming over to see how you were doing. Winter shifted her gaze to the pair. "I understand that I have you two to thank for ensuring my sister's safety some weeks ago."

Signum nodded slowly. "She performed admirably during the situation and in the aftermath. Your sister is a remarkable young woman."

"That she is. I am led to understand that she is now... gainfully employed as well?" Winter quirked an eyebrow at her sister.

Weiss drew herself up proudly to her full height of barely over five feet tall. "That's correct. Headmaster Ozpin himself wrote the contract that I signed. I'm officially contracted as a huntress for Beacon Academy."

Winter tilted her head forward, grinning a little. "Contracted at seventeen. You've finally beaten me at something, little sister. Don't let it go to your head."

"Of course not. It's no reason to stop improving. But, it's… nice to have a stable foundation for the future." Weiss looked around for a moment, looking contrite. "I need to go. I promised Ruby I'd spar with her if she managed to figure out how to walk properly in heels, so…"

"Go have fun, Weiss. I'll be around." Winter watched fondly as her little sister hurried off for a moment, then turned to look at the two mages.

She could see it straight up. They were judging her; not maliciously, but they were making no attempt at all to hide the speculative thoughts behind their eyes. Signum broke the silence first. "I have been informed that you are General Ironwood's liaison to the _Arthra."_

"That is correct. I have been directed by Admiral Harlaown herself to familiarize myself with the practical aspects of your technologies, up to and including the operation of a standard issue storage device." Winter paused for a moment. "It was… very interesting to use. I look forward to learning more about it."

Signum nodded slowly, but her eyes tracked down Winter's form to her hip. "You favor the sword, I see. Is that why Weiss does as well?"

"Hmm? Yes, though while Weiss' Myrtenaster is a rapier, I prefer the sabre. Why do you ask?"

Zafira turned his head to look down at Signum, then sighed loudly. "...as the team leader of ZFSH, I feel it is my duty to at least _attempt_ to tell you that this is a bad idea."

"Your concerns are heard and noted, Zafira." Signum looked at Winter again, nodding toward one of the side circles. "I must admit that while Nikos is quite skilled for seventeen, I have been interested in testing someone of more… mature capability. Would you be willing to entertain my curiosity, Veteran Specialist Winter Schnee?"

"If you would be willing to entertain mine, First Lieutenant Signum Yagami." Winter inclined her head, gesturing with one hand. "Lead the way."

* * *

Sparring with the TSAB people was a fun time, and Yang looked forward to it nearly every evening. She _knew_ she was a better fighter than she had been at the start of the semester. She knew it in her gut, she could feel it in her bones every time she landed a hit, she could see it in how she watched everyone _else_ move. They'd _all_ gotten better, everyone in both RWBY and JNPR.

Bouncing from foot to foot, she looked to see who would be up for another match. Fighting Arf was always fun. Zafira too, but he made _shameless_ use of his reach advantage. _Still…_ She spotted Zafira after another moment; the familiar was walking with more than a little haste toward Lindy and Headmaster Ozpin, an oddly apprehensive expression darkening his features.

 _What's got him spooked all of a sudden?_ Yang turned her head toward where he'd come from. The only two people over there were Signum and-

"Holy Schneet! Weiss, Weiss! WEISS!"

"What?!"

"C'mere!" Yang waved the heiress over frantically, hopping up and down energetically.

"I'm about to spar with Ruby, Yang. Can it wait?" The Ice Princess' voice sounded irritated. As usual.

"Your sister's about to fight Signum! It's gonna be awesome! It's gonna be the schneetest thing since we got paid!"

"What?!" Weiss turned her head so fast that her ponytail whipped Ruby in the face. Ruby sputtered, flailing and falling over, shouting nonsense about being blind. Weiss ignored her, running over to Yang's side. "You're kidding me!"

Yang grinned, pointing. "Nope! Check it out, fire and ice! This is gonna be so s-"

"I swear if you pun my last name one more time, Yang…."

"Aw geez, _Weiss_ so serious?"

Her rowdy shouts had gotten extra attention. The other sparring matches slowed to a stop, until everyone else in the room was watching the two prepare.

Signum raised _Laevatein_ in both hands, saluting Winter with the blade. Winter flourished her own sabre, then nodded in return. For a moment, neither of them moved, facing each other from ten paces apart.

Yang heard the clash first, a ringing note of tempered steel, before she even saw who had moved. Winter's sabre had slammed into _Laevatein_ and stopped like it had hit a fortress wall.

In the silence following the first ringing impact, Signum's voice was clear. "You're quite fast."

Behind her, Yang heard Jaune and Pyrrha pipe up in unison. "A hundred lien on Signum."

* * *

The elder Schnee _was_ fast. Strikes from her sabre came one after another, without pause or hesitation. Every swing and thrust was met by _Laevatein's_ unyielding steel; Signum stayed on the defensive, waiting to see if the Atlas Specialist would wear herself out.

It didn't seem to be the case. Winter's pace remained fast and steady, her breath slow and even; she even hastened her attacks a little more.

 _Enough of this._ Signum caught the next blow and let it slide down her blade, sweeping it wide and striking out with her free hand. The backhanded blow missed by a scant inch but forced Winter to break her rhythm, and Signum surged forward to take the offensive away. _Laevatein_ made the air shriek with each swing, and it was her opponent's turn to ward off strike after strike.

Winter was impressively agile, she noticed. Where Signum preferred to pick a spot and deny her opponent's assault with armor and blade, the elder Schnee was acrobatic in her defense, dodging and weaving between Signum's strikes as much as she parried. The woman even _landed_ on the flat of _Laevatein's_ blade, lashing out with a vicious kick that Signum stopped cold on her vambrace.

Winter jumped off Signum's sword, backflipping through the air to land a dozen paces away. Signum set her stance, holding _Laevatein_ before her in a two-handed grip. She let a small smile grace spread her lips. "Acceptable," she commented. Languidly.

She _watched_ the barb hit home. Winter's eyes widened a little, her cheek twitching. She shifted her grip and the sabre whirred in her hand before it opened and _spit_ a smaller, needle-thin blade into her free hand.

Signum ripped _Laevatein's_ scabbard off her belt just in time to catch the first blow of Winter's renewed assault, and she couldn't help but let the small smile widen into a grin.

* * *

"Impressive. Schnee's pushing as hard as I've ever seen, and she hasn't landed a single hit yet." Ironwood raised his eyebrows, rubbing his jaw.

"In the specialist's defense, Signum hasn't managed to strike her yet either. She's doing very well." Lindy smiled, pointing up toward the central display. Both combatants still had a full 100% of their Auras.

Around them, the various students- from all five teams- were cheering the fighters on. Loudest amongst them was the brash redheaded mage, Vita, screaming and hollering for Winter to 'take Signum down a few pegs!'

"Ms. Schnee is much more used to the mobile style of combat that is prevalent on Remnant," Ozpin commented. "I suspect it won't be long before they either forget they're fighting in a ring, or intentionally neglect to remain within."

A flurry of clashes washed over their ears, one after the other so close together that they sounded like one continuous ringing of steel.

They scattered in a burst of white-hot sparks, leaping back away from each other. Ozpin nodded. "As I said… ah, and here comes the bow."

The knight loosed an arrow at the specialist, and Winter bent backwards nearly double to avoid the razor sharp head. She kicked off the ground and flipped over the next, and then planted her feet on a spinning white glyph to propel herself back into melee range. Cheers and applause went up from the watching crowd, and more bets started flying.

In the middle of the students, Glynda heaved a sigh and started tapping on her scroll, playing the role of bookie.

* * *

"Why are you holding back?" Winter gritted out through clenched teeth.

Signum had picked a spot on the sparring floor and decided to _defend_ it. Winter's sabre was pressed against Signum's oddly-long backsword, her fencing dagger swept off to the side by the knight's scabbard, and for the life of her she couldn't make the pink-haired woman _budge._

"You say that to me, but you are doing much the same thing. I know you are capable of more, Schnee." Signum smiled again, just wide enough to show teeth. "Impress me, _Specialist_."

Winter kicked off the ground and flipped away, landing a dozen yards away from the knight. "Then stop holding back, _Knight."_ She inverted her sabre, pointing the tip at the ground.

A glyph spread out around her, curving lines and flaring wings bound by power of will. Raucous _caws_ filled the air as her flock of nevermores burst into existence, swarming toward her opponent.

Signum cleaved the first two in twain, scattering them into motes of scintillating light, but was quickly surrounded by the _murder_ of corvid-like Grimm.

Above them on the main screen, Signum's Aura percentage dipped to 99%. A deafening cheer erupted from the watchers at the sight of first 'blood' being taken. Winter grinned.

A burst of heat and reddish light wiped the grin from her face. The nevermores were consumed in the magenta flames that had erupted from Signum's Aura. The fire-shrouded warrior advanced toward her, and wisps of steam rose from her trail of footsteps.

She had all of two seconds to swap the crystal in her sabre's pommel for ice Dust before Signum was upon her. Burning heat washed over frigid cold, and the battle resumed.

* * *

"Kaiser roll, would you look at them go!" Ruby was bouncing on her toes in sheer excitement as the two fighters clashed again and again, gouts of flame and steam bursting into the air with each strike and parry. Spears of white ice sizzled impotently against Signum's semblance, but Winter's fast hands and castings kept the immolating flames from touching her own skin. They were deadlocked again, each struggling to gain a true advantage over the other.

It was _awesome._

Vita _twitched_ , then blinked, looking away from the fight to stare at her. "...what did you just say? Kaiser roll?"

"Uh… yeah! Isn't that what you people say sometimes?"

"What, you mean _Sankt Kaiser?"_

Ruby nodded. "I mean it's weird that you exclaim about bread, but it rolls off the tongue really well and it-"

Vita facepalmed. "...Ruby, the _Sankt Kaiser_ is an ancient religious authority figure. It means 'Saint King'. When we use it like that it's a swear word."

"...oh." Ruby felt her cheeks heat. "...my bad."

Another flurry of action tore her gaze back to the fight. Winter swept her dagger in an arc to summon a half-dozen more glyphs around them, and she started _rebounding_ off them, attacking Signum from a new side with every attack. She could hear the elder Schnee shouting; "Show me what you've got, Knight! _I know you can do better than this!"_

Signum's Aura percentage dropped below 90%. Signum let the next strike hit her cleanly, and with a cry of effort gripped her sword in two hands and _slammed_ the blade into Winter's side, knocking her away and across the floor. Her semblance's flames faded away, and the knight narrowed her eyes. "If you are so determined, then fine! Laevatein, _teilnehmen! Schwertform!"_

The sword's voice was heard clear through the room, synthetic and yet bloodthirsty. " _Jawohl!"_ Signum was obscured by a flash of magenta light that dazzled Ruby. When she blinked her eyes clear, Signum's huntress armor had been _replaced_ by the armored clothing she'd been wearing when they'd first met, back at the _Arthra's_ crash site.

To the side, Lindy _cursed._ "Damn it all. Durandal, set up. Containment Barrier."

" _Yes, boss."_ The spear flashed into Lindy's hand, and a teal pulse swept through the room.

Ruby felt something tug at her heart, as though she was a needle being pushed through a rubber band. Judging from the confused sounds around her, everyone else felt it too.

On the sparring floor, _Laevatein_ burst into orange flames. Ruby could feel the heat against her face, fifty feet away.

* * *

 _Now_ this _is interesting,_ Winter thought. She set her feet, ready to charge back in, only to find herself frantically leaping to the side as Signum kicked off and closed the ten yards between them without even touching the ground. The sword's flames kissed her Aura, and she felt the sizzle even from the near-miss.

Winter jumped into the air, bounding off short-lived glyphs before standing on a more substantial one that she planted twenty feet in the air. She lanced ice spears down at the pink-haired knight, and Signum dodged or parried them with ease, giving chase. Winter had to dive again to avoid another wicked slice. _How did she-_

 _She's flying. She's_ actually _flying._ Winter desperately changed tactics, putting spinning glyphs directly in Signum's way. The airborne knight bounced off the first one, shaking her head at the distraction before _cleaving_ through it with a shout of " _Shidden Issen!"_

Winter layered more glyphs between them, buying herself the time to call forth a half-dozen enhanced ice spears. Pointing her sabre with a wordless shout, the ballista-bolt sized spears launched in fusilade.

" _Panzergeist!"_ Signum held her blade upright before her, her body glowing, and the spears shattered on contact, not even budging her an inch. Winter swore, and swapped Dust crystals again.

* * *

"W-wh-what?!" Weiss shouted. The heiress felt the blood leech from her face, her already fair complexion paling even further. "That- that's..! _Winter!"_ Her sister didn't hear her, already calling forth more glyphs.

"What is it?" Ruby looked at her, confused.

"She's using _Amplify_ Dust! For a training bout!"

Off to the side, Ironwood looked at Weiss incredulously, then cupped his hands and shouted across the floor. "SPECIALIST! YOU WILL NOT BE EXPENSING THAT IN THE MONTHLY REPORT!"

"What about it?" Ruby asked.

"It's… it's _insanely_ rare and hard to produce! Father let me use a _pinch_ of it once when I was twelve, and then he made me work for the next _month_ as an intern to pay off my debt!"

"Wow, it's _that-"_ Ruby cut off. Glyphs _filled_ the room, dozens and dozens of them, branching off from each other and battering Signum to the ground. The knight was forced to plant her feet and ward the encroaching barrier-like symbols away with flaming slashes of her sword.

Her voice carried through the hum of energies. "Laevatein! Cartridge load, _schlangeform!"_

" _Jawohl!"_ The sword sectioned into a _whip_ of bladed segments, far more than even remotely physically possible, and shattered the glyphs around her for yards and yards.

"WHAT?!" Ruby's mouth was agape, and she looked _affronted._ "That's not classic at _all!"_

Winter landed on the far side of the arena, facing the knight. She was panting for breath, and she sheathed her dagger in her boot to palm her Water Dust crystal again. Another forest of Glyphs formed around her, glowing blue-white with freezing power.

A hundred feet away, Signum held _Laevatein's_ hilt to its scabbard, and the weapon glowed before changing shape. " _Bogenform!"_

* * *

 _A bow? Why is she using a bow now, of all times?_ Winter actually paused for a moment, confused, staring at the knight through the spinning lines of a defensive glyph. She knew that Signum used a bow form for her weapon to give her some ranged ability while fighting as a huntress as she'd been forced to dodge a half-dozen steel-headed arrows already; Signum was _lethally_ accurate with the damned thing. But now? _She wouldn't be using a bow unless it gave her some sort of advantage._

Thoughts flashed through her head; back at the hangar holding the _Arthra,_ she'd been permitted to use a Storage Device at the impromptu firing range. More than that, Lieutenant Lockheed had demonstrated her own device, a multiform Intelligent Device named _Rosen._ It normally held the shape of a heavy staff, but shifted to a wide-barreled cannon for…

...for _bombardment magics._

Signum had pulled an arrow out of nothingness, and was knocking it to the bow. As she drew the string back, the arrow started to glow a bright, searing purple, focused at the tip. "Fly, my falcon!"

Winter's eyes widened. She knelt, slamming her knee into the concrete hard enough to feel it through her Aura and stabbing her sabre's point into the ground. Glyphs spread out from her in a line, each one forming at the edge of the one behind, racing toward her opponent in an instant. Jagged flows of thick ice erupted from each glyph, so many and so quickly that she could _feel_ the Water Dust crystal in her hand shrinking as its energy was expended as she made wall after wall after wall.

The last glyph was just beginning to form under Signum's feet when she loosed the arrow. " _Sturmfalke!"_

* * *

"A hundred lien on a draw."

A dozen heads turned to stare at him. Glynda slapped her hand into her forehead, sighing.

Ozpin sipped his coffee, hiding his smirk.

* * *

Signum lowered her arms and took a single deep breath, _Laevatein_ separating once more into sword and scabbard. She wiped the blood from her eye; the Schnee's closest ice wall had exploded ferociously when the spell-bolt had punched through it, and some of the shards had managed to superficially wound her even through her knight's armor.

The ice barriers had shattered in a line; the closest ones had been completely obliterated by her _Sturmfalke_ bolt. Further along, they were marginally more intact, collapsed piles of steaming ice. The farthest ones were still mostly in one piece, instead holed through and through by the blast of magical energy.

The very last ice wall, the one closest to her opponent, withstood the assault. The arrow had sunk completely through, trapped by the fletching. Winter shook with exertion on the other side, staring at the arrowhead that was slowly disintegrating a scant foot from her chest. She reached out with one trembling hand and touched the fading steel.

Signum heard her laugh weakly in disbelief.

Then the specialist shook her head clear, locked eyes with Signum from a hundred paces away, and _charged._

Signum grinned through the blood, gripped _Laevatein_ in both hands, and flew forward to meet her opponent. She raised the blade over her head, bringing it down with-

Lindy's voice thundered through the air, filled with pique. "This is _over. Stand down,_ Lieutenant!"

Glowing white chains caught her around the waist, snared her arms, bound her legs, halting her momentum so suddenly that it blasted the breath from her body. Winter slammed into a spinning white glyph, which split into four and wrapped securely around her wrists and ankles. Signum turned her head to look and saw Zafira and Weiss both with hands outstretched. The guardian beast looked unperturbed, but Weiss' face was strained with effort.

Signum had to clear her throat, taking the instant to regain her poise. "Admiral?"

"You almost broke through my barrier with the backwash from that stunt you just pulled, Lieutenant. You're _done_."

She winced. That would have been bad. "Ah… yes, Admiral. My apologies."

Ironwood was already speaking to Winter, who seemed to at least have the grace to look _slightly_ abashed. Amongst the students, groans and complaints were being issued as Goodwitch collected cards of lien from them. Ozpin looked… smug. More so than usual.

Zafira's binds released, and Signum rubbed her sword hand's wrist. "I am ready and waiting to receive my punishment, Admiral."

"Just don't do it again, Signum. Pack it in, I need to lower this barrier before anyone tries to come in and gets suspicious."

Signum nodded, letting her Knight's Clothing dissipate. She pulled a pair of cartridges from her armor's pocket to replace the ones she'd used. They slid into _Laevatein_ easily.

 _Laevatein_ immediately issued a complaint, ejecting the cartridges. " _Ausfall."_

Signum caught the wayward shells, blinking. She raised one to her ear and gave it a shake, and could hear something like sand rasping inside. "...odd."

Lindy perked an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Laevatein says that something's wrong with my spare cartridges. Shamal will need to take a look at them, I believe." Signum reverted _Laevatein_ to its Remnant form, then slid the weapon back into its scabbard.

Lindy nodded slowly. "As soon as she's available. Durandal, cancel barrier and revert to Remnant form."

" _Yes, boss."_

The teal tinge over everything faded. The air clouded a little, shining more than it should, as if a fog had spread through the room. "That's… odd," Lindy commented.

"Extremely. I've never seen this happen from lowering a barrier before." Signum swept her hand through the air, then held it up to her eyes.

Ruby _sneezed,_ and a flurry of rose petals scattered through the air around her.

Powder fine motes of pinkish dust glimmered against Signum's skin.

"W-what?!" She heard Weiss shout behind her. "What _fresh hell_ is this?!"

 _No,_ Signum realized. _Motes of Dust._

* * *

"What fresh hell is _this?"_

Torchwick was anxious, every nerve on edge.

He'd been stonewalled in his attempts to _safely_ gather more information on the refugees directly, so he'd finally decided to resort to other means. It had taken a bit of doing, but he'd eventually managed to track down one of the pilots that had flown recovery for the _Stairway to Heaven,_ and after liberally greasing the man's palm, had gotten the coordinates of the airship's crash site. So they'd boarded his personal bullhead and flown out there to check it out, just the two of them.

The payment had been cash only, and he'd been wearing one of Neo's illusions during the exchange. No, he wasn't worried about getting found out.

He was worried about the Grimm. Neo was good, but a flock of nevermores would be way more trouble than the two of them were prepared to deal with.

 _Missing teeth,_ Torchwick had thought in disgust. _Just can't stop poking them._

Finding the crash site was not hard at all. It was a huge scar across the ground, trees as old as Vale torn up from the soil by the impact of a massive ship from above. Even after a month, the forest hadn't even started to reclaim the wounded earth.

But no, that was to be expected. What caught his attention, what put him on edge, was the Dust.

The ground was _covered_ in outcroppings of Dust crystals, unlike any he had ever seen before. As clear as quartz, but still showing the inner fire of energized Dust, the crystals were clinging to nearly every hard surface for a half-mile around the crash site; only the trees themselves seemed immune to the inorganic growths.

With more than a little trepidation, Torchwick brought the bullhead in for a landing, and he and Neo climbed out. There was an outcropping of unearthed ancient stonework a dozen meters away, glittering with shining cargo. He moved closer, and cautiously reached out to touch a clear Dust crystal the size of his clenched fist.

It thrummed against his hand; quiescent, stable, but waiting to be unleashed. He pulled out a pocket knife, and very, _very_ carefully broke the crystal free of its stone seat. Pocketing it, he jerked his head back toward the bullhead. "Get back in. We're out of here."

Neo didn't have to be told twice. They climbed back aboard, and he lifted the Bullhead off the ground without issue.

She took a seat next to him, raising her eyebrows quizzically.

"Nope. No joke today, squirt. The only funny thing about all of this is that it's not funny at all."

* * *

Ruby was a bundle of energy as they walked to class, still gushing about the _totally awesome fight_ between Signum and Winter. Weiss let the torrent of words flow past her, nursing her morning cup of coffee and murmuring replies where appropriate.

She'd become rather adroit determining how well Ruby slept by the way she acted in the morning. _No nightmares last night._ The thought made her smile a little.

Chrono and Lindy were waiting for them at the doors into the lecture hall, as usual. They exchanged pleasantries for a moment.

"Did Shamal ever get a chance to, uh…" Weiss paused.

"She did. We'll talk about it later." Lindy nodded, and pushed open the door. They took their usual seats. Weiss was pleased to see that the older students in the room had, after the last two weeks, gotten used to her and Ruby's presence, and didn't react in any particular way.

The door at the end of the hall opened, and Qrow Branwen strode through to the podium. Weiss put a hand on Ruby's arm before the girl could leap to her feet, and thankfully it was enough to keep her from shouting across the room. Ruby did wave, though, and Weiss saw the flash of amusement on Qrow's face.

Ozpin stood from his feet, turning to face the class. "Students. Today our guest speaker is Qrow Branwen, veteran huntsman and graduate of this very academy. I thank you all in advance for giving him your complete attention." He sat back down, facing the podium.

Qrow had his flask in hand, already sipping from it when attention returned to him. He glanced around the room, perking one eyebrow, before screwing the cap back on and holding it up. "Hey, kids. You're probably looking at this and wondering if this is what the life of a huntsman has done to me, right? Drinking at seven in the morning to keep going."

Weiss pursed her lips. _The thought crossed my mind._

"Well, this?" Qrow shook the flask, the liquor inside sloshing audibly. "This isn't what keeps me going. This is a _crutch."_ He dropped the flask onto the podium with an audible thunk, and raised his hand to point. "That's what keeps me going. How you doin', Ace?"

This time Weiss didn't bother trying to restrain her. Ruby jumped from her seat, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her as she glomped onto his arm. "Hi, Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow held up his arm, Ruby still clinging to it like a monkey. "This right here, kids. Now you may be sitting there and groaning to yourself because the old man is about to get all wishy-washy in front of you, but it doesn't change that it's true. Family is what keeps you going. Friends are what you rely on, and they rely on you. When I go out there into the field, every beowolf I cut down is to keep her safe. Every Grimm I kill is one less Grimm to attack the walls. One less monster that threatens our way of life."

He shook his arm gently, and Ruby took the hint, dropping to the floor. "Back to your seat, kiddo." She scampered away, beaming and grinning through her blush.

She sat down, and Weiss gave her a teasing smile. "Goof."

The flask was back in Qrow's hand, and he gave it another shake. "I drink because I like how it feels, I'm not gonna lie. But the alcohol doesn't get me through the day. Knowing that I'll see her smile does. And that's what you all need to do. You need to find something to be your anchor; something real, something that matters. Not just drugs and swill, because if that's all you have you'll burn out faster than a house fire. Take it from me."

* * *

Hayate had her scroll open, going through names. "Winchester?"

Nora nodded seriously. "Yeah, got him. Some girl from third-year. She like's 'em big and bulky, they fit better under her boot."

"Team AZRR?"

"Easy, they're going as a group. Platonic."

"...okay. Anyone else?" Hayate kept the smile from her face. This was _serious business,_ after all, and she needed to be _on top of her game_ for this last one.

"Nope. I think that's everyone! If they're not paired, they don't _want_ to be paired."

"Mm. Fantastic." Hayate held out her hand. "It was an absolute pleasure working with you, Nora. This dance is going to be _amazing."_

Nora shook her hand with gusto, laughing. "I know!"

The two of them meandered through the hallways, giggling as they reminisced on the past few weeks. Hayate hadn't had that much fun since _boot._

"Oh, hey Ren. Waiting for us?"

The black-haired boy was waiting for them, leaning against a wall. "Just making sure Nora's not getting into any more trouble. I think Professor Goodwitch is keeping a close eye on you two."

"Ah. Yeah, we did get a little carried away." Nora and Hayate exchanged another laugh, but Hayate sobered up after a moment. "Actually… Nora, we did forget something."

"What?!" Nora put her hands on her cheeks, aghast. "No! How could we! The dance is _tomorrow!_ Who do we- how do we fix it?!"

"Oh, it shouldn't be too hard." Hayate glanced around, then gestured her close. "Here's what you need to do."

Nora leaned closer, eyes wide. Ren leaned in a little as well.

 _Perfect._

Hayate opened the broom closet next to her, and unceremoniously shoved them both inside. "You two need to talk."

She kicked the door shut behind them, flipping the lock and walking away, ignoring Nora's shouts of denial and outrage.

She made it a dozen steps before her victorious smile faded a little. A sense of melancholy swept over her, slowing her steps and making her shoulders slump a little. _...ah well. There's always next year._

A voice interrupted her thoughts. "...Hayate? Are you… all right?"

She turned, looking up at black hair and eyes the color of burning embers. "Oh, Cinder. Hello, how are you?"

"Quite well, thank you. I just… noticed that you looked a little upset. Is something… wrong?"

Hayate tried to laugh it off, but even she could tell that her voice was off. She sighed. "I just… realized that I spent so much time making sure everyone else had a date to the dance tomorrow that I didn't bother to get one for myself."

"Ah." Cinder nodded slowly, considering Hayate's words. "I actually know how you feel, Hayate. I spent so much time making the dresses for your friends that I find myself in much the same situation."

Cinder's voice trailed off. Hayate looked up at her, inquisitively. She perked an eyebrow in thought.

The tall woman shook her head. "...no."

"I wasn't going to ask. Have a good evening, Cinder."

"Have a good evening, Hayate."


	28. Chapter 26

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 26 - The King is in Check

"Lieutenant, we weren't expecting you. Is there a problem?"

Vita snapped off a short salute, as protocol dictated, and Sentra did her the courtesy of returning it. "Nothing anyone did wrong, ma'am. Just here to retrieve Shamal."

"At ease." Sentra nodded, jerking a thumb toward the back of the vault. "She's still at it. Roland said she was up for his entire shift."

"Aaand that's why I'm here." Vita strode past the section leader. "Oy! Shamal! Time to go, the dance is in three hours!"

The knight looked up in surprised consternation. "What? But I'm still working!"

"When's the last time you slept, Shamal?" Vita practically stomped her way over to the blonde. "You need a nap, and you've gotta be at the dance so people don't ask questions about where you've been!"

"I really don't think that's necessa- wh- hey! Vita! VITA! Unhand me, you miscreant!"

"Nope! If I have to suffer through this shit, I'm not going to be the only one! And Lindy said to make sure you're there!"

Sentra watched in amusement as Vita threw the protesting blonde over her shoulder, about-facing and hauling her toward the elevator. Shamal kicked and struggled, pounding her fists on Vita's back. "We'll still be here tomorrow, don't worry. Roland has Lancelot covering the fridge with his autoguard full time."

The Knight of the Lake didn't seem to hear her. "Vita! Put me _down!"_

The redheaded knight had a shit-eating grin on her face as she passed Sentra, a cheerful bounce to her step. "This is awesome! It's _fun_ being tall."

* * *

The door was locked. The curtain was drawn, blocking the view into the room from outside. Signum stood in front of Hayate's tri-fold mirror, hands on her hips and scowling at her nearly nude reflection. _Laevatein_ hung around her neck, waiting.

The device glowed at her command, and the suit and tie intended for Beacon's male student body phased into being around her with a pink flash of light. Signum straightened her back and gave the lapels of the jacket a sharp tug, appraising the fit.

She looked great, she knew that. The poise gained through centuries would let her wear a _burlap sack_ and still turn heads. But something about it was just… off. _Wrong._

With an irritated wave of her hand, the suit scattered into motes of pink light, reforming into the short, thigh-length black tunic dress that she awoke in to each new master. _At least the color is right. Black is simple and easy._

Signum rubbed her face. _Why can't I make a decision?_ There was a tension in her thoughts, just enough to make them hum and scatter in her mind. Her left leg _jittered_ even when standing still _,_ and there was an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach; an urgency she couldn't put a name to, almost like she had to eat or use the bathroom but she needed to do neither.

Another wave of her hand, and _Laevatein_ pulled the newest image from her and rendered it into form; another suit jacket, but with a more feminine cut, accentuating her _admittedly modest_ curves; reducing her age to seventeen years had done her no favors in that area. She couldn't put a finger on why it bothered her, and the very fact that it _did_ bother her… annoyed her even further.

Again, the suit looked good on her, but it wasn't _right._ Signum shattered the spell with a curse, leaving her standing in her underwear once more.

There was a knock on the door. Signum glanced around, making sure that every mote of light had vanished. "Enter."

The door unlocked, and Hayate bustled through, waving her scroll at the latch to lock it again behind her. "Hey Signum. Need to get changed, mind if I use the bathroom?"

"By all means." She didn't mean to make the words sound short, but a bit of her irritation bled through into her tone.

Hayate paused, tilting her head. "Something wrong?"

Signum frowned, crossing her arms under her chest. "I… cannot decide what to wear. Nothing looks proper, and I cannot settle on a style of jacket to wear."

The tiny brunette rested her chin in her palm, tapping a finger to her cheek in thought. "Hmm. Two things, I think. One, it sounds like you're nervous."

Signum's eyes widened, and she looked at herself in the mirror again, skeptically.. "Nervous? Preposterous."

"How many dates have you gone on?"

"I have lost track, to be honest."

Hayate rolled her eyes. "How many dates have you gone on that a Master of the Book of Darkness didn't order you to go on?" She stopped, and for a moment Hayate looked more than a little discomfited. "I… I'm sorry, that came out horribly and-"

Signum waved it off; she knew Hayate made an effort to not remind them of their pasts unnecessarily. She processed the question, blinking a few times. "I…" She lowered her head, bullying her memories into providing the answer. "None," she eventually was forced to admit.

"Okay, well. Do you _like_ Neptune? Or did you just accept his invitation because you find it amusing that he was willing to ask?" Hayate tilted her head. She wasn't being judgmental, merely curious.

It didn't take Signum long to come up with the words to voice her answer. "I believe he is worth making a true effort."

Hayate smiled. "Well then. Let's run through a few ideas together, hmm?" She stepped up behind Signum, turning her back toward the mirror. "Oh, and the second thing, by the way?"

Signum faced the mirror, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Yes?"

"No suit, no jacket, no collar, and no _pants_."

Signum huffed. "Zafira gets to wear a suit."

"Zafira's a _boy_. You're a beautiful woman. You're wearing a _dress,_ Signum."

* * *

The airship pulled into Beacon's port with lethargic grace, and the doors opened to disgorge its cargo of passengers onto the campus.

"You be careful in there tonight, okay sweetie? You never know what kind of crazy people might be at that dance." Hopefully there wouldn't be any trouble. Her cover identity was well-established this time, and not just an off-the-cuff change to her hair and eyes. "While you're having fun, I'm just gonna be poking at the thing we found in the woods, so call me if you need me."

She smiled brightly up at him, wide green eyes full of cheer, and nodded enthusiastically. Black bangs styled into spiraled curls bounced with the motion.

Torchwick wanted to grin, but he put on a concerned expression anyways. "Do you have everything you need?"

She nodded, making a bored face. A small recording device was lifted from her handbag, then slipped back away.

"If something bad happens you know where to meet me, right?"

Another nod as she pointed at his boots; first the left, then the right, followed by a flapping motion with one hand as she drew herself up imperiously.

"Good, good. And you _are_ packing protection, right? Just in case things get a little frisky?"

She rolled her eyes, producing a switchblade from between her breasts before tucking it back in place. It _vanished_ into her cleavage.

Torchwick had to admit to himself that he was impressed. That wasn't exactly a small knife. Still… _two can play that game._ "Not exactly the kind of protection I was talking about, kiddo." He pulled a strip of packaged condoms from his pocket and dropped it into her handbag.

Neo's eyes boggled, and she glanced around hurriedly to make sure no one else had seen. She balled up a tiny fist and slugged him in the side. Torchwick laughed, reveling in the victory.

He sobered after a moment, though. "Seriously, squirt. Have fun, but be careful in there. If you need me, don't hesitate to send a message out." _I don't know what I'd do without you if something happened._

She met his eyes for a moment, then bulled into him and hugged him tightly, reassuringly. Then she was gone, flouncing off toward Beacon with a skip to her step.

* * *

Beacon's second-semester dance was always an event of note each year. The ballroom had always been the best venue for the occasion in years past, but Ruby and Weiss had lobbied hard for use of Beacon's main auditorium for the current year, quoting that they'd be able to do so much more with the extra room.

While the itemized list of expenses that Weiss had submitted, which had been nearly an order of magnitude more expensive than any previous year, had been daunting, she'd also made the poignant observation that Beacon was hosting students from across Remnant this year in preparation for the Vytal festival. ' _Lien does no good sitting in a bank account collecting dust,'_ she'd said. ' _Grandiose gestures can be an investment in their own right. Think of the PR.'_

Ozpin was quite pleased to see that his trust hadn't been misplaced. The auditorium was nearly unrecognizable; the walls were swathed in tasteful draperies and trappings, and the excess of tables lining the walls were covered in fine cloth and candle settings. The dance floor alone was nearly the size of the ballroom itself, and up on the stage a live band was setting up their instruments and equipment. One side of the huge room even boasted a second floor balcony just for the occasion, not a hint of its rushed construction apparent. The contractors had done an amazing job.

 _Trust a Schnee to get things done with a big enough expense account,_ he mused. The event wasn't even restricted to the auditorium itself; tents and awnings covered the grounds outside the main entrance, providing space for the attendees to get fresh air while still feeling that they were part of the festivities.

"I have to admit I'm impressed, Headmaster." Glynda was already attired for the dance, in a floor-length dress of deep purple trimmed in gold. "They even managed to get _you_ to dress for the occasion." Her tone was vaguely amused.

It was true; He'd forgone his usual jacket and pants, and was instead sporting a black tuxedo for the affair. His one nod to his usual appearance was his bowtie; a strong forest green, the color of Beacon's own symbol. "With all the effort they've put forth, it would have been remiss of me to not reciprocate, don't you think?"

"Of course."

Ozpin offered his arm, quirking a small grin. Glynda rested her hand on his forearm, and they walked inside.

Yang Xiao Long was waiting just inside behind a small podium, resplendent in burnished gold. "Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch! You look great!" She offered the guest book, smiling as bright as the sun.

* * *

Ruby did her best to keep her face still, staring at the mirror and tilting her head obligingly whenever Weiss' nudged her in one direction or another.

It was _weird._ Ruby almost never wore makeup at all; the most she would usually do was her favorite brand of strawberry-flavored chapstick, and she would wholeheartedly admit that chapstick simply didn't count. So watching as her features were expertly accentuated by eyeliner and lipstick and a hint of foundation was very strange.

On top of that was the sensation of Weiss' fingers touching the bare skin of her face. It wasn't unpleasant, persay. It was actually kind of _nice-_

She grabbed at the first thing that came to mind to distract herself. "How did you get so good at this? Didn't you have, uhm… attendants to do it for you?"

Weiss hummed a little to herself, tilting Ruby's head back. "Close your eyes." Ruby did so, and she felt a softness over her eyelids as Weiss delicately brushed on eyeshadow. "Winter was always happy to let me practice on her before she left for Atlas Academy. I made the effort to keep practicing when I could."

"Oh. Because you knew that when you went to Beacon you would have to do it yourself?"

Weiss laughed lightly, and her touch faded. Ruby found herself missing it. "I wish I could claim to have been so foresighted. No, I kept up with it because I knew I wasn't supposed to. It was one of my first little acts of defiance. Not that anyone ever knew, though. It was my little secret. Open your eyes, tell me what you think?"

She did so. Weiss had stepped back and was appraising her handiwork. Ruby looked into the mirror, and she had to keep herself from touching her face. "...wow. I look like a different person almost."

"It's not so different, you're just not used to it. I didn't really do all that much, you know. Just enough to _accentuate,_ not to cover up what's there." Weiss started packing away her makeup kit, her back to Ruby. "It'd be a crime to, really. You're a pretty girl when you let yourself be, Ruby."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat, and she gripped the chair in both hands to keep from covering her face. Her eyes ran up the curve of snowflakes flowing up the sheer paneling of the back of Weiss' dress. "M-maybe. You're _always_ a pretty girl though."

Weiss' shoulders tensed up for a moment before relaxing, and the heiress straightened. "Of course. A Schnee always has to be her best, after all."

There was a moment of silence. Ruby got to her feet, letting herself sway for a moment to get used to her heels, then took a few steps forward. "Well, uhm… you definitely are tonight."

Weiss smiled a little at the compliment, giving her styled hair one last glance in the mirror. "Shall we go witness the hell that we've unleashed?" She glanced pointedly at the dance planning binder, thrown carelessly onto her bed.

Ruby grinned. "We shall!"

* * *

It had taken about half an hour to help Signum settle on a dress she was satisfied with. The senior _Wolkenritter_ had been surprisingly adamant about wanting to decide for herself instead of letting Hayate pick for her, but eventually she'd settled on one of many subtle variations of the _little black dress,_ and she made it look _good._

Now all four of her knights were in the room with her, and Shamal was helping her into her own dress for the evening; a deep, wine red evening gown with a dark purple ribbon tied into a bow around her ribs, and matching opera gloves.

The Knight of the Lake herself was wearing a demure green dress, layered fabrics giving her more of a fairy-tale princess look than any of the others. Zafira was comfortable in his suit and bowtie, but Vita…

"Vita, what exactly are you wearing?"

"Fun, Hayate." The Iron Hammer Knight's crimson dress was provocative, just a few steps shy of _scandalous._ A deep V-cut neckline, bare shoulders, and a skirt that was cut high on one hip… Hayate had only glanced for a moment before looking resolutely at the wall. "I'm wearing _fun."_

"Right, of course. I expect you to behave yourself, Vita."

The redhaired knight grumbled, crossing her arms under her- _Oh, that's a lovely discoloration on the wall, I'm going to keep staring at it._ "Yeah, yeah. I'll be good, promise."

Shamal lightly patted her shoulder. "All done."

"Wonderful! You four go on ahead, I just need to do my makeup and I'll be right behind you!" Hayate smiled at her knights and shooed them out the door, shutting it behind them.

Hayate waited ten long seconds, ten seconds where she didn't even dare to breathe. Then she relaxed, air rushing from her lungs. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and thankfully her hand came away clean. " _Kami-sama,_ she's trying to kill me."

* * *

Ren and Nora had run off in front; well, Nora had run off in front, dragging Ren by the hand. Jaune followed behind, much more sedately, with his hands in his pockets and taking the time to enjoy the evening air. Pyrrha had urged him to go on ahead, saying she needed a few more minutes to get ready.

A fair number of students had already arrived. They were scattered in small groups across the grounds in front of the auditorium wearing black tuxedos or colorful dresses, and many more students were visible through the open doors. Yang stood just inside, smiling at him as she offered the guestbook. "Looking good, Jaune!"

He smiled back as he signed. "I'm not the only one. You look amazing."

Her smile turned into a wide grin. "Damn straight. You should turn around, by the way."

"I should?" Jaune glanced over his shoulder, and for a moment every thought fled from his head. He was transfixed by the sight before him.

Pyrrha was standing behind him, a _vision_ of beauty in a floor length red gown that clung to every curve. The rest of the sounds around him faded, and he could only hear the sharp _tac_ of her heels on the floor as she walked up to him. Her smile was radiant, lips as red as her dress parting and shaping into… into…

 _She said something. She said_ something _and I have no clue what she said._ Jaune did the only thing he could, and with as much control as he could muster, he asked her to repeat herself. "Bwuh?"

 _...that was not the thing to say._

But apparently it was the right answer after all. Pyrrha's smile became a delighted laugh, and she took the pen from his slackened grip. "I said thank you for waiting, Jaune. Shall we go in?" She signed her name into the book.

"I, uh. I mean, yeah!" Jaune offered his arm, and Pyrrha's hand settled on it. "In we go!"

* * *

The bullhead set down easily on the landing pad. Winter cast one last glance at her reflection, making sure her dress whites were immaculate, then let the sheet of ice melt away and opened the side door. "Sergeant. We've arrived."

"Thank you, Specialist." The white-haired… girl... was garbed in a simple, sleeveless black dress from collar to ankles. Years seemed to have melted from her face and frame, and looked for every intent like a fresh-faced girl the same age as Winter's sister.

Winter had passed it off as a trick of the light, a combination of attire and the dim lighting in the _Arthra's_ hangar. Now, though, along the brightly lit paths of Beacon's main campus? She couldn't deny that the sergeant _was_ younger than she had been. "...aren't you… my age, Yagami?"

The sergeant laughed politely behind her hand. "That depends entirely on which metric you're using, Schnee." There was no one close enough to eavesdrop, so she continued. "Technically I'm four years old, but I have a lot of inherited data. I'd almost call them memories, but they're in compressed storage so I have to make an effort to sort through them. I honestly couldn't tell you what all I can remember off the top of my head."

"That's… interesting." Winter nodded slowly as they walked down the path. "Though it still doesn't explain how you actually made yourself younger."

The white-haired Yagami skipped ahead a few steps, spun to face Winter, and threw her hands in the air menacingly. "This isn't even my final form!"

Winter tilted her head while looking directly at the young woman. "What."

Yagami started laughing, and wiped her eyes carefully. "No, really. I'm a construct, similar to the other _Wolkenritter._ My physical body is a solid projection of energy, and therefore somewhat malleable."

"...convenient. So Signum, for example-"

"Is not normally a girl on the cusp of adulthood either." Yagami smiled. "She doesn't get any taller, though."

The path curved, and the auditorium grounds came into view. Winter raised her eyebrows appreciatively at the scene. "I see my sister took her role seriously."

"It's very nice. I went to the Navy Ball two years ago, but that's the only other formal dance I've attended." Yagami tilted her head for a moment, then smiled. "Penny's already inside with General Ironwood. Shall we?"

* * *

She took a moment to go over her checklist, making sure she had everything she needed and that everything was prepared.

Her scroll was in her pocket. Her black hair was wrapped in a tight bun, held securely in place by pins of jagged obsidian. She was swathed in black from head to toe, and smoked lenses hid her eyes.

Looking at her reflection in the window of an empty classroom, Cinder was completely unrecognizable; Just a patch of shadow cut from the night. _I can't believe I was thinking about being that_ overt _for a stealth infiltration. That's stress for you._

She'd put some thought into her plans for the night, and she realized that there was _absolutely_ no need to deal with the guards Ironwood posted around the CCTS tower. Leaving a trail of bodies, whether dead or just unconscious, would have only made the headmasters and their pawns more suspicious than they already had to be.

A week ago, she'd been looking forward to beating the stuffing out of a couple hapless soldiers. But a week ago, she'd been floating in stress up to her eyeballs. _It's amazing what a good laugh can do for your state of mind. Thank you, Hayate Yagami._

Getting to the tower was the easy part. Instead of jumping from rooftop to rooftop, silhouetted against the sky for all and sundry to see, she stuck to the shadows. The barest whisper of black on black.

The patrols around the tower were fairly alert, she had to give them that. But the tower was also _large,_ and there were gaps in their movements that she could exploit. It only took a few moments to slip past them, and instead of going for the main doors she moved around the back for a maintenance entrance.

The door was locked, of course. A flick of her fingers called forth slim hooks of black glass, and she slid them into the lock. A few minor alterations to the shape of the glass picks had the lock clicking open satisfyingly. She melted back into the shadows as a pair of soldiers passed by, just in time, and then had an easy ten seconds to open the door and squeeze inside.

The elevators were all shut down, except for the single one being used by the soldiers that she knew were inside. She walked up to the door, pressing the call button. Glass claws formed around her fingers, and she jumped up and hooked them into the decorative mantle above the elevator door, swinging her feet up just as it opened. She held herself there, upside down.

A soldier poked his head out of the elevator, cautiously. He stepped out, rifle up and glancing around, followed by his partner. They were alert, spooked by the elevator moving on its own.

But they never looked up, and they never looked _back._ Cinder uncoiled silently, swinging her legs through the door and keeping her grip on the top of the frame, planting her feet on each side of the elevator box in an uncomfortable split. Grimacing at the strain, she pushed open the elevator's top hatch and hauled herself through.

She heard the soldiers' voices, moving back toward the elevator. She closed the hatch, waiting.

Muffled voices, wondering what the issue was. "Probably needs maintenance. Report it in the morning?"

 _Perfect._

Cinder waited longer, but the elevator didn't rise. The guards seemed content to stay on the ground floor for the time being.

 _Dammit. This is going to be a long climb._ She jumped off the top of the elevator box onto the service ladder, then started her way up. Aura gave her the strength and endurance to haul herself up the rungs in leaps and bounds, a half-dozen at a time.

Reaching the communications floor, she grabbed the doors' manual release and pried them open a scant inch, peeking through.

The floor was completely deserted. She hauled the doors open the rest of the way, and stepped through. Her scroll slotted cleanly into the reception console. She typed away at the keyboard, grinning underneath her mask. _Too easy._

The display flashed, and the Black Queen icon imposed itself on her vision. Behind her, screen after screen lit up and displayed the icon for a moment before they all shut back down.

Cinder slid her scroll back into her pocket, hurrying back to the elevator and into the shaft. She pulled the doors closed, then started sliding down the ladder rails with more than a little haste. The top of the elevator car came into view, quickly approaching as she descended. _Plenty of time to get back, but no sense in wasting- Fuck!_

She wrapped her arms around the rails and pulled herself desperately against the ladder, pressing her hips and thighs flat against the rungs. She _felt_ the wall of the elevator box slide against her rear, just kissing the leather. Then the box was past, continuing its ascent toward the hub room.

Cinder was left hugging the elevator, breath hitched in her throat. _That was… that was almost very unpleasant. Small mercies._ She took a moment to compose herself, then continued her slide to the ground floor.

Reaching the end of the ladder, she was about to pry the doors open, but something caught her eye. She looked down, sliding her goggles up to her forehead and conjuring a dim orange flame to illuminate the nearly pitch-black shaft.

"...what's this now?" She asked the gloom. The shaft kept going _down,_ even though the ladder ended there at the ground floor. She couldn't even see the bottom.

Cinder checked her watch, then looked down into the shaft again. Considering.

* * *

The dance was in full swing now, hundreds of students from the four Huntsmen Academies laughing and carrying on across the dance floor and throughout the tables. Chrono was standing on the balcony, sipping his glass of wine and watching the students enjoy themselves while the band blasted out another upbeat song.

Amy sidled up next to him, pressing lightly against his side and wrapping an arm around his waist. She was wearing a modestly cut dress the same deep blue as her formal uniform, to which he'd matched his suit's bowtie. She didn't stand out at all amongst some of the more daringly dressed girls, but that didn't matter at all.

He thought she looked ravishing, and the matching rings on their fingers told the world all it needed to know.

She smiled up at him, knowingly. "Not _quite_ as impressive as the Navy Ball two years ago, but the girls know how to throw a good party." The impish look in her eyes was bright and playful.

Chrono chuckled a little, letting her pluck the wineglass from his fingers. He allowed himself to rise to the bait, just a little bit. "To be fair, it's not like we'll be able to end the night quite the same way, either."

Amy sipped the wine, pressing her hip against his. "Oh, I don't know. This _is_ a college campus. There are ways if one is determined."

Chrono quirked a brow. "Are you saying…?"

"Sweetie, you're not the only one frustrated at having to sleep in the same room as your mother."

* * *

 _Ugh. These_ kids. _They're all so… happy._

Emerald sighed internally, moving slowly between the groups and packs of students outside the dance floor. It wasn't _everyone,_ but more than a few students were giving her skewed glances and then closing ranks. The guarded treatment given to them by the refugees had colored the perceptions of a large portion of the student population.

On one hand, she didn't really care. But on the other hand, it meant that she was alone in the crowd, except for Mercury.

She glanced over her shoulder at her grey-haired 'partner,' where he was standing by himself near the punch bowl with a cup in hand.

No, she was very much alone in the crowd. _Asshole._

She let the snippets of conversation wash over her. Off to one side, Hayate Yagami was apologizing to the leader of JNPR, something about a rocket locker and how it was 'meant for someone else.' He laughed it off, and smiled at Pyrrha Nikos. The Mistralian champion smiled back at him, green eyes shining. _Ugh, it's true. What does she even see in him?_

A bit further away, the blonde Harlaown and Taka- _Takamakka? No, that's not right… Taka… Taki… Gah. Nanoha-_ Nanoha were heading out onto the dance floor, absolutely eye-catching in their respective gold and garnet dresses. Emerald scowled. _I am not jealous of Fate's figure. I am_ not _jealous of Fate's figure._

 _Yeah, and Mercury's the nicest guy you know. Keep telling yourself that, Sustrai._ She sighed again, turning away from the scene and wandering on.

Cinder was sneaking into the CCT tower, she knew, but even if the older woman had been there Emerald would still be alone. She hadn't so much as exchanged a greeting with Cinder outside of the classes they'd been required to attend, trying to keep up the cover of out-of-favor teammates. _Still, she should be finishing up any time now… I hope there wasn't trouble-_

A sharp motion caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see _that damned Faunus girl_ arguing quietly with Yuuno. The bespectacled young man shook his head, giving Arf's shoulder a squeeze, then stepped past the orange-haired woman.

She realized he was walking toward her. "Emerald?"

"Yuuno. You look good in that suit." It wasn't a lie. He wore it well.

"It's the same one that all the other guys are wearing." He shrugged, modestly. "I noticed you were alone, and… well, I've known how it feels." He offered his hand. "Care to dance?"

 _I'm not turning red. I am_ not _turning red. Son of a_ bitch.

Behind him, Arf's stare was as sharp as her fangs, but she didn't interrupt. Her lips moved, silently. _One dance._

Emerald gave the Faunus a tiny, acknowledging nod, and then accepted the offered hand. "Just like sparring, then?"

He smiled. "It's always more fun with someone else."

* * *

Signum sipped her cup of punch, noting but not commenting on the slight burn of spirits mixed into it. To one side of her were Jaune and Pyrrha, and to her other side was Vasilias-

 _...do I keep calling him that? Technically this is a date. Should I refer to him by his given name?_ She stared into her punch for a moment, pondering on that thou-

"Signum?"

"Yes, Vasilias?"

For an instant he looked just a little bit stricken.

Jaune caught his expression, and reached _over_ Signum's head to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, man. She uses last names for _everyone."_

"I guess that makes sense, then." Neptune grinned, the look on his face vanishing. "Should I call you Yagami, then?"

"Signum is fine."

"Do as you say, not as you do. Got it." His voice held the slightest teasing note, and Pyrrha actually giggled.

Signum frowned. "It is a… show of respect, for me to do such. I was raised-" She caught herself, grimacing. Vasilias wasn't in the know, and it was a fine line to explain without revealing too much. "-in a very… old fashioned manner, Vas- Neptune."

"It's no problem, don't worry about it." Neptune sipped his punch, still grinning. "Better than 'Hey you,' after all."

"Indeed."

Signum glanced around for a moment, looking up at the three of them in turn. Her lips turned down a little.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.

"It is nothing of importance. I just… realized that you are all very tall, and I am not."

Her date- _Neptune, not Vasilias,_ she reminded herself- laughed. "Don't worry about that, Signum. It's actually pretty cute."

 _What._ "I am not _cute."_

"Right now? You kind of are, Signum." Testarossa smiled at her as she and Takamachi joined them. "You can be short with us, though."

" _Mou,_ Arf looks like she's about to bite someone's head off- oh my, Yuuno's dancing with Emerald." Nanoha sounded concerned.

They all turned to look, just in time to see the dance end. Emerald gave Yuuno a small, grateful smile, then stepped back with a cautious glance at Arf. The familiar wasted _no_ time in stalking forward, grabbing Yuuno by the shoulders and pulling him into a kiss. After only a moment's hesitation from the surprise, he kissed _back._

Nanoha's cup of punch dropped from her suddenly limp hand. " _Nani?"_ Fate caught it without even looking.

Arf broke the kiss, glaring around at everyone watching. Her tail lashed side to side, held high and rigid. " _Dibs,"_ she growled.

Fate sipped her own punch, and her quiet voice was clear in the silence. "I was wondering when she was going to finally get around to marking him in public."

There were over a dozen other students in easy earshot. They _all_ turned their heads to look at Fate, scandalized.

" _Fate!"_ Pyrrha whispered, urgently. "Not the best phrase to use!"

The blonde realized her mistake and _blushed._ "I, I mean, uhm-"

"What?!" Arf snapped at them all, bristling. "It's true! It's none of your collective business, people!"

"Except for you calling 'dibs,' " Signum remarked.

"Except for me calling dibs."

* * *

 _How deep does this go?_ Cinder thought, projected yet another chain of obsidian links and hooking it securely. She'd dropped well over a hundred yards below ground, and there was only blackness above and below her. Only the tiny ghost-flame orbiting around her head provided light.

Minutes more passed, time filled by only moving down lengths of glass, hand under hand. Finally, she reached the bottom; a single set of sliding doors waited for her. There was no manual release.

Cinder hadn't come this far to be stopped, though. Whatever was down here was _not_ in the CCT tower's blueprints, which meant it had to be something both secret and important. She made yet another construct of obsidian; a crowbar, far stronger than it had any right to be. She wedged it carefully into the part between the doors, and forced them open a scant inch. They didn't make a sound, so she risked one more. Leaving the bar in place, she leaned close and peered through.

The gap revealed an _immense_ hallway, dimly illuminated by indirect lighting and tall enough that the ceiling was lost in the darkness. It was hundreds of feet long; she couldn't even see to the far end.

A wave of her hands summoned forth a pair of small glass lenses, curved just so. Holding them to her eye, one in front of the other, she moved them apart slowly and steadily.

The end of the huge corridor leapt into focus, magnified tenfold by the impromptu spyglass in her hands. She saw… machinery. A large device with hallmarks of Atlas technology adorning its frame, and smaller consoles and devices the like of which she'd never seen before were arrayed in front of it. To one side, she could see a wooden shipping crate labeled with Atlas markings. There were two people there; a brown haired man standing guard and a black-haired woman sleeping in a chair.

They were all details, inconsequential matters. In a coffin-like tube linked to the large device, Cinder saw _her._ She felt her gut clench, her heart pound, her very _soul_ strain, reaching out to _reunite._

She almost did it. She almost threw the doors apart and charged down the corridor. She _wanted_ to; she wanted to call forth the fire and her obsidian and _take what was hers._ The barest thread of self-control kept her from doing so, to stay _rational_ when everything she'd worked for was _right there._

 _Think, think, think! Dammit, Cinder! You've waited for over a year to finish this, a little longer won't kill you!_ She bit her knuckle bloody, focusing on the pain to bully her wayward impulses back in line. _You need to show your face at the dance so you have your alibi._ The fire in her belly hissed as it died, simmering down to the ever-present coals she lived with.

 _There's no distraction ready. There are two guards, sleeping in shifts._ She'd never seen gear like theirs before; black long coats and judging by the head of the staff held upright by the man, some form of Dust-stave. Fighting Dust-users was always a risky proposition, but a risk that could be taken into account. And if she could neutralize them quickly… _The Maidens do not exist, and Ozpin cannot mobilize visibly for something that does not exist._

Cinder cast one last, longing glance through the gap between the doors, then very carefully eased them shut. She dispelled her obsidian as she climbed, leaving no trace of her presence.

 _Ozpin would break the masquerade to protect the Fall Maiden, but he would not break the masquerade to_ avenge _her. He would cut his losses and try to maintain the status quo._

The climb out of the shaft, _away_ from her goal, was one of the longest moments of her life.

* * *

It wasn't bad being part of a group at all, Yang decided. Assisted by the fact that they'd both been _tricked_ into taking Blake to the dance by Hayate and Nora, she and Sun had made a sort of unspoken agreement to not try to make a competition of things. And Blake, the wonderful girl that she was, was reciprocating their good intentions by including both of them in her attentions, not letting one or the other fall to the wayside as the night continued.

While the upbeat songs were easy enough to have fun with on the dance floor, the ones that necessitated having a _partner_ were a little harder to negotiate. Yang and Sun had both stopped and looked at each other for a moment, not quite sure who should step back first… then Yang had just grinned and stepped up to the tall boy herself. Blake had laughed out loud, and dragged Zafira over to be her partner for the moment.

 _She really is pretty,_ Yang thought. A slim dress of deep purple, simple and nearly rustic but well cared for. Blake hadn't gone dress shopping with any of them in the weeks leading up to the dance, so Yang could only assume that she'd already owned it. _Just like her to save the lien,_ she snickered, not unkindly.

The music changed to another upbeat number, and they gathered back together. Hayate and Shamal drifted over as well, smiling and laughing.

Then Yang spotted Vita, and her eyes widened. _How the- how is she still decent moving around like that?_ By all rights the redheaded knight's dress should have slipped and exposed her just from walking too quickly, but it stayed stubbornly in place as though it was glued on.

Blake and Sun both saw where she was looking and followed her gaze, and soon the same expression of confused expectation was on their faces as well. Hayate was actually _blushing_ , refusing to look anywhere in Vita's direction. "Now I understand why the Book kept her at ten," she muttered, just loud enough for Yang and Shamal to hear.

"Mmm." Shamal nodded slowly.

Hayate hung her head, ruefully. "We've created a monster."

Moments later, the song ended, and a laughing Vita joined them, still upbeat and bouncy enough that Yang swore Hayate's eyes were going to wobble right out of her head. Yang sidled up next to Vita, throwing an arm around the redhead's shoulders. "Vita, how the _hell_ are you doing that? How are you still _decent_ after all that? _Tell me your secrets, woman!"_

Vita cackled, and she gave Yang the smuggest grin she'd ever seen. "Magic!"

* * *

Winter stopped to let a positively _tiny_ black-haired girl pass by, then continued on her way. She found the people she was looking for a moment later, standing atop the balcony. "General. Admiral."

The TSAB Admiral was wearing a simple blue dress, just stylish enough to fit in without catching the eye at all. She smiled at Winter. "Just Lindy, please."

"Of course. My apologies, Lindy."

Ironwood coughed into his hand. "Specialist. Enjoying yourself?"

"Very much so, sir. Even Atlas Academy never threw a dance quite like this one while I attending. I have to say I'm impressed."

"Indeed. I'm a little disappointed that your sister decided to come here instead of attending Atlas, but," Ironwood paused, rubbing his chin in his hand. "I get the impression that she wouldn't have… _flourished_ the way you did, Schnee. That, and being in the center of the current situation has been very good for her."

"And speaking of, there are our stars of the hour now." Lindy held up her flute of champagne in greeting as Weiss and Ruby joined them on the balcony. "You're two for two now, girls." The younger Schnee and the leader of RWBY both glowed from the praise as they approached.

Winter perked an eyebrow at their attire; the teammates had dressed to _kill._ Weiss' ice-blue dress was swathed with a curving wave of white snowflake embroidery, covering her from collar to ankle but leaving her shoulders and arms bare. Ruby's black, corset-like bodice and miniskirt were accented by a red rose-petal motif, which swept down one side of the lacey train-like half-skirt that framed her legs, with cuffs on her upper arms above black concert gloves. Their dresses were completely different from each other, but the emblem-like ornamentations held just enough similarity to show to anyone watching that the two were a matched set.

"I'm very pleased that everything went off without a hitch," Weiss said, "but it wouldn't have been nearly as successful without the refugee teams helping out as much as they did. So, thank you, Lindy, for your assistance."

Lindy just smiled wider and held up her champagne in a silent toast.

A cheer broke out down on the dance floor, and Winter turned her head along with the others to look. Students were backing away from the center of the floor, shouting and laughing. In the center, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos stood side to side with their arms crossed, facing down Penny Polendina and Sergeant Reinforce Yagami. "What on Remnant are those four-"

She was interrupted by the band _blasting_ out the notes of a new song, and the pair of pairs started _moving._ Ruby squealed, barely remembering to keep from pressing her gloves hands to her cheeks. " _Eeeee-_ they're having a dance off!"

* * *

 _Best. Dance. Ever._

Those were the words that Ruby heard most as she and Weiss did the rounds. Just like the party for the _Arthra's_ crew, except with an order of magnitude more people participating, the two of them circulated around and made certain everyone was having fun. Everything was top-notch; the caterers were from one of the best restaurants in Vale, and the live band was renowned throughout all four kingdoms of Remnant.

 _It's almost fun being a the hostess,_ she thought. While needing to walk around and keep their faces visible made her talk to a _lot_ more people than she was used to interacting with, it also was a wonderful _reason_ to stay the hell off the dance floor and not embarrass herself in her heels. She was okay with walking, but dancing? No way.

Luckily, Jaune and Pyrrha were still locked down in an _epic dance battle_ with Penny and Rein, and neither side seemed inclined to lose anytime soon. It was a true battle of beats, with practiced skill and natural chemistry matched up against machine-like precision and wireless coordination.

It was pretty _awesome._ And everyone _knew_ it was awesome, too, because almost everyone inside the auditorium was trying to get a good view of the action, scrolls out and recording. And because everyone was watching, no one was being left out, and Ruby could finally take a moment to _sit down._

So she did. Weiss, being _best partner,_ sat down with her. "I think we set some kind of record here, Weiss."

"We did. This is the most extravagant school dance held at a Huntsman Academy since the Great War." Weiss was more than pleased with how things had turned out, and even she had a smile on her face that wouldn't go away. "Good job, Ruby."

"Good job, Weiss!"

They sat in silence for a long moment, relaxing and watching. One of the band's players had picked up his microphone and was playing the role of commentator for the dance battle, and the heavyset gorilla faunus was _hamming it up_ and making the crowd laugh uproariously.

Motion caught Ruby's eye, and she turned her head. A tiny black-haired girl was circulating around the edge of the crowd, and Ruby couldn't help but notice the tantalizing sway of her hips-

She _blinked,_ and her thoughts stopped hard. _What the- I just… I just caught on something._ It was the strangest feeling; she _knew_ she'd just made a connection somewhere in her own head, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out _what it was._ "Hey, Weiss."

"Hmm?"

"Did you see that girl just now? The tiny one?"

"Which one- Oh. Yeah, I see her. I didn't know she was a student."

Her reaction made Ruby frown. "You recognize her?"

"Hard not to. That's the girl that helped show you how to walk in heels yesterday."

Ruby tilted her head, and memories of _the way she moved_ flitted in front of her mind's eye. Fully aware of the fact that she was blushing under her makeup, Ruby shook her head. "But that girl was a redhead."

"...that _is_ a little odd, you're right."

Ruby's frown turned into a pout. "I wish I'd seen her weapon. I can identify _anyone_ by their weapon."

Weiss rolled her eyes, nudging Ruby in the side with her elbow. "Dolt."

* * *

It was getting late, and some students had left the auditorium for their dorms. More had moved out of the large chamber to the grounds outside, basking in the cool night air; no matter how large, any chamber would become stuffy with so many bodies inside.

Hayate wandered a looping path through the tables around the dance floor, content to enjoy the moment to herself. Most of the _Wolkenritter_ had returned to their rooms; Vita had _taken care_ of a bowl of spiked punch, and Zafira and Shamal had taken it upon themselves to escort the tipsy redheaded berserker back to her room. Only Signum remained, standing with Neptune next to Yang and Sun and Blake. The stern-faced knight had loosened up just a little bit as the night had worn on, and was actually showing signs of amusement at Yang's jokes and Sun's antics. Hayate drifted by, resting a hand on Signum's arm and smiling at her when their eyes met.

"I should probably warn you, Sig," Sun was saying, "Neptune is an incorrigible flirt."

"You don't even know what incorrigible means!" the blue-haired boy retorted with a mock scowl.

Signum looked back at the monkey faunus, sipping her glass of wine. "I am not concerned. He knows better."

"Ooooooo!" Sun pointed at Neptune and started laughing. "It's been two days and she's already got you whipped!"

Hayate giggled as Neptune's face turned tomato red. She left them behind, not wanting to interfere with Signum's socializing any further. _If I stick around she'll be thinking nothing but 'Yes, Mistress' and 'No, Mistress', even if she doesn't outright say it._

Beacon's clock tower tolled, low notes rolling across the campus. Twelve long notes.

"Hayate."

She turned around, raising her eyebrows and looking up into ember-orange eyes. "Cinder. I thought you weren't going to make it."

"I honestly did consider staying in my room. But, well…" Cinder looked around slowly, taking in the sights. "An event like _this_ might well be a once in a lifetime affair, and I would be a fool to not take part." She smirked, one corner of her mouth quirking up. "I won't be staying long, but I am no fool."

"Well, I'm glad you made it. You do look beautiful, by the way. Black really is your color, and I'm not just saying that."

"Thank you, Hayate. You are quite the sight yourself. Did you make your dress yourself?"

"I did, thank you!" She beamed.

Cinder looked around again, and her eyes found Fate and Nanoha and the rest of the Harlaowns, still nearby. "I also admit that I wanted to see my own creations being appreciated. They were all a pleasure to work for, not like some clients I remember from the past."

Hayate started to respond, but _black lace_ caught her attention. She turned, and found herself looking _down_ at a little black-haired girl wearing- " _Kami-sama,_ she's a _goth-loli."_

Cinder blinked, tilting her head. "Excuse me?"

"I said she's _adorable!"_ Hayate translated in a hushed squeal.

The tall ravenette tracked her gaze. "Ah." She beckoned the little girl closer, nodding. "This is my teammate, Sable. Sable, this is my tailoring friend, Hayate."

Sable polished up a bright smile, green eyes twinkling with mischief. She curtsied, then straightened and pirouetted once before setting her feet with a sharp _tap._

 _Don't make a scene. Do not make a scene._ Hayate pulled from the deepest depths of her self control and somehow, _somehow_ managed to keep from engulfing the _smaller_ girl in a hug. "It's very nice to meet you, Sable."

"Sable doesn't talk much. But she is very pleased to meet you," Cinder assured her. Sable smiled again, nodding, and then wandered off.

Hayate found herself watching the girl go for a moment. "I wonder if she'd be willing to model for me," she thought out loud.

Cinder started laughing, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. "You never stop, do you?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Hayate grinned up at her. "So anyways. The night's almost over, but a dance between _tailoring friends?"_ Hayate raised her hand.

The tall woman rolled her eyes. "Fine. One dance, between _tailoring friends."_ She took Hayate's gloved hand in her own, smirking. "But I lead." 

* * *

" _Ladies and gentlemen, and I do use that term loosely,"_ the band's speaker earned a chorus of playful _boo's, "we're about to play our last set of the night. So find your partner quick, and let's make this one for the ages."_

There wasn't quite a _rush_ to the floor, but the dance-goers that were left definitely stopped what they were doing to make their way over. Weiss watched them all pass by, feeling inexplicably detached. She was content, yes, but there was something _missing-_

A hand found hers, silk threading between her fingers and clasping gently. She found herself gently tugged toward the floor. She turned her head and found Ruby at her side, smiling at her.

 _She's holding my hand._ The thought stuck in her head, her own voice playing in a loop. _She's holding my hand. Ruby Rose, do you even know what you're doing?_

She had to be misreading it. She was Ruby's partner and teammate, of course Ruby felt close to her. They were attending the dance together, and had been so busy checking on everything as the evening had passed that there hadn't been _time_ for an actual _dance_ at the dance, so of course Ruby would want to get one dance in before it was over.

 _But she's holding my hand like_ that. _Is it an accident? No, it was totally deliberate, but does she even know what it means? Because it really feels intimate but this is Ruby, intimate for her means cleaning each other's weapons, and yes we've done that before but that's a different kind of intimate and-_

"Weiss."

"Yes I'll help you do maintenance on Crescent Rose, I've said it before and-"

"Weiss." Ruby said her name again, and Weiss found herself lost in silver mirrors.

"...what?"

Ruby's lips curved up in a smile. "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing."

* * *

The dance was, officially, over. The band was packing up and the auditorium's main lights were brightening back up to normal intensity. No one was required to leave, though, and many of the students were sticking around in the large chamber or on the grounds outside, fully intent on staying out well into the early morning hours.

She left the dance behind, one well-dressed form amongst dozens that were filtering along the paths toward the dorms. A side path dappled in deeper shadows gave her the chance to melt away, disappearing from sight.

She retraced her steps, and it wasn't long before the massive tower loomed overhead, blotting out the starry sky above. The maintenance door was ahead of her, and the guards were just as unaware as before.

 _Tonight,_ Cinder thought. _I take what is mine tonight._


	29. Prelude I

Author's Note: This Prelude was written by my partner in crime, Golden Lark. All credit goes to him for it, he's working on HI a lot with me.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Prelude I - Save Things Eternal

Damcina rolled over onto her back, soaking in every photon of sunlight while she waited. The ledge she was on didn't see too many passersby, so she was at low risk of damaging her dignity (and by extension, her Master's). Just as she made ready to flop over on her side for even coverage, her ears twitched visibly.

As the set of three officials passed by, they took no notice of the well-dressed cat-eared familiar sitting demurely on the ledge, tapping daintily at a small projected screen, showing naught but perfect poise. Once they were out of sight, she bonelessly flopped back down on her side, but only a few seconds passed before she sat back up in consternation, as the shadow of a floating tower covered her ledge quite completely. Sighing, she tried to sit still without kicking her legs or otherwise acting like a child, but her boredom was getting to her.

Normally, one would play a game on a hand screen to whittle away some idle time.

Normally, she'd be much too busy to ever waste time playing games. Hence, she had downloaded none onto her local PAN terminal.

Normally, the Network would be up, allowing her to download such games at the speed of thought, if she had reason to, such as waiting for her Master to exit this emergency meeting.

However, the Network was down, and because of that, she had plenty of free time, no games, and no way to get any games.

Oh, sure, there were plenty of devices linked to the planetary network that might be able to supply such things, but considering who she represented, there were certain channels she simply could not be caught turning to for the sake of paltry amusements. The interdimensional network, however, had plenty of ways to . . . mask one's standing.

If the damned thing was available.

Her Master had rambled on at length to various guests about the issue for three days, waving his hands and saying things about the alignment of the planets was causing a loss of signal to the greater Network. He made a very convincing case, and each of his guests in turn had left looking much less worried than they had been when they arrived, confident that the problem would solve itself after "just a little bit more inconvenience."

She herself might have been convinced had it not been her Master doing the talking, as she could read him like an open, dirty screenscroll. His heart rate, perspiration, breathing pattern, speech cadence, and most damningly, his slightly increased level of politeness all served to clearly signal her when he was talking out of his ass.

Whatever was blocking access to the network, she knew two things for certain: it had nothing to do with any planetary alignments, and it most assuredly wouldn't come back in a little bit. She had the distinct feeling that the rather angry group of men that had entered the meeting tower with her Master two hours ago were not being fed the false story.

* * *

Soon enough, said group of angry men filed out of the tower, her Master among them. One of them thumped him on the back a few times heartily, not noticing his grimace.

"Well, it won't be too much longer, Hea! You'll see. They'll have us back on the grid in no time. You won't miss your conference, and you'll get your grant, guaranteed!" Master Hea nodded in agreement and bowed as the older archmagus wandered off to the nearest source of liquor. Normally mind altering substances became less appropriate as one's social rank increased, but the last couple of days had been a series of 'exceptions stacking on exceptions,' as Master has been known to say.

Damcina silently fell into step beside him as he made his way to the platform which would teleport them home. She did not fail to notice the slight hesitation in his step before he passed over onto the platform. It was the very same hesitation most lower-caste children would make on their first visits to the upper tiers of any modern city: that small moment of doubt that the floating stone circle would hold your weight, before your common sense overrode your dirt-walker instincts and you hopped on anyways.  
She did not fail to notice, and she did not fail to keep silent about it as the carvings lit up and they vanished.

* * *

Master Hea brusquely walked into their home, not even looking up from his handscreen as the doors dematerialized to allow them entrance. Damcina kept pace by him, silent as a cat and ever patient. He had taken dinner with the others at his meeting and would not need further food this night; she had caught up on organizing his mail during the first hour of waiting, and he had no further appointments this evening. As his normal channels with which to get work done were all but blocked, it was likely he would soon -

"Damcina. I am retiring for the evening."

"Yes, Master."

He entered his bedroom and the stone door phased back into place seamlessly. She bowed, despite him not being able to see it, and proceeded to make her final rounds for the night early. The washrooms were immaculate, the sitting room was in order, and the study - the study door was open. There was a single memory crystal lying in the frame, preventing the door from rematerializing. She stepped over, scooped up up, and made her way to her Master's desk - always a mess, but never disorganized. She scanned over the various racks of memory crystals, looking for the right place to set the errant one, but could make no sense of the chaos of her Master's mind as spread across an entire room. Sighing, she pulled up her handscreen and scanned the crystal to figure out which shelf it belonged on.

There was only one document on it. Opening it without hesitation, she scrolled through and noted that it seemed to be something of a comparison report. Planets across the Network, and the last known communiques from each - each clipped with news articles from the preceding month or so. Nothing new or interesting; barbarians from some of the less upraised societies harassing Hazredi interests, attacking otherwise helpless research worlds. For all that they could 'attack,' given that dimensional kill teams could reach any point in the continuum within seconds of a detected assault.

Still, only a fool would discount that the pattern of silent planets (and silent clusters, when a Network hub planet went down) didn't correlate to the reported sightings of terrorist agents rather well. Assuming their own nearest hub world's Network node was taken down, that could potentially account for the outage.

It would also incite global panic, and a rush on the teleportation matrix as Citizens attempted to abandon the world like rats from a sinking ship. After all, if the Network hub goes down, the teleport hubs are no less vulnerable. Only specially trained archmagi can independently teleport between worlds, and even then it's not good for the ambient dimensional framework as a whole if they would do so without the assistance and guidance of the hub relays.

Damcina yawned and did her final nightly checks of her master's projects. All of the subjects were stable, ambient mana levels were normal, and the projects showed no sign of entropic decay. One she was convinced that everything was ideal, she headed back to her own room. Taking a moment to revert to her completely natural form, she stretched and changed into her nightgown, then slipped into bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, the first reports of the failures of mana matrices in the lower cities began to come in.


	30. Interlude 3

Author's Note: This interlude is once again written by Golden Lark, as I wouldn't have been able to do the relevant character involved proper _justice._ Props to him for pulling it off perfectly.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Interlude - Full Attention

It was another slow day amongst a series of slow days. Uno knew that the Doctor was at his worst when he was bored; that is, when everything was routine, regular, and proceeding according to plan. It was in these idle spans between working on assignments that he dedicated his mind fully towards his freedom - that is, to never being bored again. He needed cash flow, and a place to work, and the ability to keep the TSAB from interfering. The combat cyborg project had coincidentally been started, rescinded, and mothballed at the perfect time - it gave the Doctor powerful assistants, backups, and family all at once.

While Uno didn't begrudge the Doctor his interests or desires, she always dreaded the spans where he worked on his own freedom. He tended to get reckless, as his mindset was never the best at the points that he began dedicating energy and time to his master plan. So, it was with no small amount of relief that she brought him a commission from the TSAB's intelligence network. Normally he would only be handed formal assignments from the deniable portions of the TSAB, but ever since she took on her current duties, she's been able to find him various side projects as they have been posted - either by the public, or the government. As long as the problems were interesting, he was perfectly happy to lend his assistance to virtually any endeavor. Uno chose which jobs to present to the Doctor, making sure to pick the ones that brought in a steady flow of income proportional to how much of the Doctor's time they absorbed.

As the door to the lab slid open, Uno silently hoped that the chip full of details she carried would serve to bolster the Doctor's mood. His head turned fractionally to acknowledge her entrance.

"Ah, Uno! Wonderful timing. Zest and Lutecia made something of a discovery during their raid; I'll admit, I hadn't expected the amateurs running that lab to have accomplished anything of note - but they seem to have found and activated an intact Ancient Belkan unison device! Well, it was intact before they tinkered with it. Apparently it's following them home of its own free will!"

Uno simply nodded. New and interesting things for the Doctor to study were a minor godsend for his state of mind. "Doctor, I found a commission you might be interested in. It's relevant to one of your current projects."

"Oh?" Jail Scaglietti half turned around, and distractedly accepted the chip Uno passed him. To an outside observer, they would have been mistaken as twins. The same long purple hair, the same piercing yellow eyes, and the same keen gaze mirrored each other precisely. That Uno was obviously female and Jail was male were the only differences between them, to all outward appearances. Which was proper, as Uno was in fact a custom tailored clone of Jail, with the only changes being the gender shift and a handful of . . . 'enhancements' to Jail's own genome being left out of her own. As such, his manic enthusiasm and curiosity was conspicuously absent in her, despite their intellects being equal by most measures. Uno simply focused her own mind towards making up for the weaknesses engineered into Jail's own - which was both the reason she was created, and a purpose she was uniquely suited to appreciate more than any other being alive.

Jail slipped the chip into a terminal and flicked his hand down the screen, blurring it as text and figures rushed past.

"Planetary anti-magic interference field. Dimensional communications blocked. The whole planet? Completely natural? Nonsense. The density of the ambient mana fields would have to be . . ." he trailed off as scan results came up next in the document. "Huh." He summoned a second screen with his left hand and started entering figures, while continuing to navigate the document with his right. "Readings from the engines of the ship as it got too close, error correction logs from the communications with another ship in orbit as their signals passed through a bit of the upper atmosphere."

Uno raised an eyebrow. "Exaggeration as usual?" There was a pattern in the way that TSAB officers described the unknown. Usually as an order of magnitude more dire than it ever actually was.

Jail left hand stopped moving, and gestured idly back at Uno. "Actually, no. There was a very distinct sense of detached ignorance in the report. Self-aware ignorance, mind you. The best kind. They made no assumptions beyond their best guess, and simply provided all of the data they had. It's been a while since I got this much supporting data from a client, actually. Normally people have some pride to protect and leave details out." He pointed at the left screen. "There's a bypass formula for the communications problems. It's not perfect, but will allow for reliable dialog with the surface. With some deep scans of the planet's core and the moon, I could have something we could use to teleport food that will still be edible.

Uno took the new data chip from the terminal. "They will likely get those scans to you sooner rather than later, considering the situation."

Jail blinked. "Situation? Let's see." He jumped back up to the top of the report, with all the mushy human context that was irrelevant to the actual puzzle. "Loss of the _Arthra_ , follow-up investigation by the _Warding Gesture_ , led by . . . Gil Graham?" His eyes narrowed. "Didn't I do a proof for him a few years back? A thought exercise on sealing the Book of Darkness via a cryo-device?"

Uno nodded. "Indeed. While he never managed to enact the plan completely, he did attempt it, and was quietly retired in retaliation by the TSAB."

"Huh. If I recall correctly that mess was cleaned up in part by my favorite artificial mage?"

"Indeed. Fate Harlaown née Testarossa was instrumental in that incident."

"And a great many others, since . . ." he trailed off. " _Arthra. Arthra._ Fate. That was the ship she was on during that Book mess, wasn't it? Who was on it when it crashed?"

A few seconds later a crew manifest appeared in a third projected window.

"Huh. There she is. And some of her interesting friends, too. I thought she was an Enforcer, now, considering that she's been chasing after me like a stubborn puppy?"

"She is. Apparently this 'mission' was more of a last hurrah for the people involved before the _Arthra_ 's mothballing."

Jail's perpetual smile faded a little, and he tapped a few more lines into the terminal on his left. "I was thinking in terms of ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface interaction. Assuming actual mages are on planet in this gunk, hmm." His brow creased. "Ugh. The errors introduced to any standard Mid or Belkan casting would give anyone a headache. Even me, if I didn't have the equipment on hand to analyze it." He tilted his head a bit as the latest lines of code parsed into results. "That's funny. Let's assume the field increases in density as one approaches the surface. In an environment like this, saturating the air with mana during combat would fail completely, causing instant deposition into solids. Hopefully none of them have much in the way of allergies - that's a lot of dust!"

* * *

Gil's terminal pinged with a new message at 0900 hours, Cranagan time. He was already awake and finished with his morning meal; opening it, he first laid eyes on the formula and dared to hope. Below that was the message proper:

 _To Gil Graham:_

 _I hope this message finds you in good health. Attached is a first draft of a formula to compensate for your errant planet's 'interference.' With your cooperation in the form of a few specific scans of the planet's core and the moon, I could have a solution for Class 5 intradimensional teleports ready in a matter of days._

 _I understand the desire for urgency and am more than willing to expedite this matter. If you are willing, I could send some of my team to you to set up more specialized equipment as a beachhead. This would allow us to hasten the progress towards Class 1 teleportation by an order of magnitude or more. As for my interest, the opportunity to be on the front line for such a novel discovery is priceless; I would not think of charging you more than the initial contract amount when you have friends on the ground._

 _As you have no doubt inferred by my mention of certain facts, I have my ways of keeping a thumb on the TSAB's pulse, myself. If I was to assist you, I would appreciate you keeping my involvement quiet from our friends of the_ Lady Midday _. We both have experience in matters best kept quiet - even if you (fortunately, as it turned out!) didn't have a chance to test that particularly chilling theory I proofed for you some years back, in the end._

 _Regards,_

 _A fellow acquaintance of an Arthra crew member_

A Class 5 teleport was sufficient for perishable food and other more robust rough supplies. A Class 1 teleport was the rating needed for the intact transportation of living beings. Gil's blood turned to ice as he reached the end of the letter, but it was more of a cold, disbelieving hope. He went through some shady back channels to try to vet his plan for the Book of Darkness, and had the work checked and double checked by as many think tanks as he dared pass it by without tipping his hand. Apparently it had in fact been tipped, but the one who caught him had kept quiet. There was a kind of honor among the black markets, as reputation was everything - else those markets would collapse. In this case, he realized his ability to help Hayate might have just been bolstered beyond his wildest dreams.

As he opened up a window to write a reply, he simply hoped he wasn't signing a deal with a devil, instead.


	31. Chapter 27

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 27 - Drastic Measures

" _Curvature."_

" _Bulwark!"_

 _Rosen's_ clipped, synthesized tone and _Lancelot's_ strident bark were the only warnings Sentra had when a trio of black bolts speared through the air from the far end of the corridor. The air in front of her lensed visibly, and the arrow meant for her throat curved sharply aside to slam against the wall.

Roland wasn't so lucky. He had jerked upright when his device blared out the warning, and because _Lancelot's_ autoguard spell manifested in front of Amber's tube and stopped the kill shot meant for the Maiden, the arrow meant for his neck caught him square in the chest. The bladed head punched through the first layer of his barrier jacket, lodging in the magical fabric.

He lurched to his feet, swearing. Then the arrows detonated in concussive bursts of fire and obsidian shards.

Sentra was thrown forward by the force of the explosions, and she heard Roland's scream cut off into a pained gurgle. Blue-white sparks flew from sundered equipment, casting bright light and harsh shadows throughout the end of the room. There was a sharp _crack_ of spiderwebbing glass, and the hiss of escaping air.

She rolled to her feet, _Rosen_ gripped in both hands. She could see movement at the far end of the hallway, moving toward her. Quickly. "Galant!"

No response. "Roland!" She spared a glance over her shoulder. Her partner was face down on the ground, his barrier jacket in smoking tatters. She swore, tearing her eyes forward again just in time to see the black-garbed figure launch toward her.

She belted out a defensive spell just in time. "Density!" A pair of black-glass swords slammed into _Rosen's_ shaft, and the blades screeched orange sparks as they were deflected by the unyielding device.

"Acceleration!" She slammed the palm of her hand forward, and caught the figure in the chest. The enhanced blow knocked her attacker back a dozen feet, and the figure flipped through the air to land in a crouch, glaring at her through smoked goggles.

The light of burning machinery let her see a female form, completed covered in black fabrics. Her outline wavered in the shifting light, as though Sentra was viewing her through a fire, or she was a mirage. The woman stood, gesturing widely, and a dozen yard-long spears of obsidian formed in front of her.

 _Trajectories calculated_ appeared in the corner of Sentra's vision, and transparent lines connected the hovering spears to their targets. Eight were aligned on her, and the remaining four were aiming past her for the Maiden. Sentra centered herself, and _Rosen_ called out the next spell with her. "Wide-scale Curvature!"

The volley of spears launched, lethally accurate, only to spin off in every direction when they hit _Rosen's_ lensing field. Still, two got through, shattering against Sentra's barrier jacket and throwing her back. More explosions sounded behind her, buffeting her with rocky shrapnel. _Shit! Need to take the offensive back!_

Sentra threw a shooter attack, following it up with two more. The figure dodged the first one, slashed the second apart with her blades, but the third caught her square in the gut and shoved her back.

She conjured more shooter bolts, launching volley after volley and forcing the figure to retreat. "Rosen! Priority transmission, call for backup!" Sentra took a few steps forward, keeping up the assault.

Two more shooter bolts got through the woman's defenses, knocking her back further. She gestured again, more and more spears of obsidian forming from nothing and launching in a haphazard, unguided rain of sharp death. Sentra was forced to break off, expanding a shield spell across the entirety of the hallways to keep the storm of glass from hitting Roland and Amber's defenseless bodies.

She felt her linker core strain with the effort, more so when the projectiles detonated into a firestorm. The concussion alone threw her on her ass again, and she struggled back to her feet with a curse, readying herself for the next wave.

Nothing came. When the smoke cleared enough to see, the hallway was empty. Roland was still on the ground, unmoving. In the corner of her vision, _Rosen's_ HUD linked to _Lancelot_ and displayed his injuries. _Condition critical._

She had to choose between giving chase to the retreating attacker, or saving Roland's life.

Sentra swore again, backing up and kneeling down next to him. _Rosen_ pulled from her magic again, striving to keep Roland alive. She kept a wary eye on the battle-torn corridor beyond, waiting.

* * *

The buzzing jolt from _Schwertkreuz's_ pendant form jolted Hayate straight out of a cheery dream of sharply cut suits and lovely dresses. She lurched upright, blinking.

Signum was already on her feet, her knight's clothing forming around her in a flash, Zafira only a scant instant slower. Fate pushed herself upright as well, grabbing Bardiche's vibrating jewel off of her dresser. "Signum?" Hayate asked.

"Rosen just transmitted an alert. The vault has been attacked."

"What?! Schwertkruez, set up!" Forget uniforms. Her knight's clothing replaced her sleepwear, and at the same time _Bardiche_ formed in Fate's hand.

Zafira checked the hallway and waved them out. They could hear commotions from the other teams' rooms as well, and within a moment all twelve of the TSAB students were gathered in the hallway.

The words exchanged were kept to a minimum; Chrono had _S2U_ in one hand and his scroll held to his ear, relaying information and orders. "Yuuno, Captain Yagami, _Wolkenritter._ With me, we're hitting the Vault. Roland's critically injured. Ozpin and Qrow will meet us there. Enforcer, Takamachi, Arf, and Amy, escort the Admiral to General Ironwood. Device transmissions to keep in touch. Keep your jackets up, but _stay low profile._ Try not to be seen."

"Sir!" No one bothered saluting, and they broke and moved with precision.

Hayate kept close to Chrono as they navigated through the pre-dawn campus. "Sir. Condition of the VIP?"

"Unknown. Still alive, but I don't have more information than that. Sentra's not equipped to diagnose." They kept to the shadows, moving as quickly as they could. A few random pockets of students were still out and about, but they were easy enough to slip past without being spotted.

It took ten minutes of stealthy travel before the CCT tower loomed overhead. The very tip of the tower was illuminated by the sun that had yet to rise. "Move, people. We're about to lose our window."

Ozpin was waiting for them at a maintenance door at the back of the CCT. He nodded to them, expression as grim as they'd yet seen. "Captain Harlaown. What do you know?"

"Nothing more than I've told you, Headmaster."

They hurried inside, passing through the service corridor to the main lobby. Qrow was waiting at the elevator, holding the door. "Get in fast." They piled in. Ozpin tapped in a code on the panel, and the box descended quickly.

When the doors opened again, the acrid stench of burned plastic and hot metal filled the air. Signum and Vita took point, advancing quickly but cautiously, and Zafira brought up the rear. Chrono spoke quickly to _S2U._ "Transmit to Rosen; friendlies coming in. Signaling with blue flare." He launched a ball of blue light ahead of them.

" _Message delivered. Rosen reports flare sighted."_

The end of the vault looked like it had been subjected to a bombing. Amber's stasis chamber was scarred and pitted by impact, the glass face shattered into shards across the floor. All of the medical equipment was destroyed by impact and fire.

Lockheed was waiting for them, looking the worse for wear in her torn barrier jacket. Galant was lying on the floor surrounded by a flickering purple healing ward, blood leaking sluggishly from his ragged chest. Chrono waved them forward. "Shamal, on the VIP. Scrya, Lieutenant Galant."

Yuuno wasted no time in interfacing with the failing healing ward, and the dim purple light was replaced by a strong green glow. Shamal hurried to the damaged stasis chamber, _Klarer Wind_ already unspooling from her rings.

"Signum, Vita. Guard the hallway. If _anyone_ comes through, stop them and vet them, put them down if they resist. I don't care if it's Nanoha sleepwalking or me coming back from a trip to the head, or even the _Sankt Kaiser_ reborn, you put them on the ground if they don't submit to examination. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir." They took their places down the hallway.

"Zafira. Guard duty. If someone manages to get past them, they do not get past you."

"Naturally."

Ten tense minutes passed. Yuuno sat back, cleaning his hands with a sterile cloth and rubbing his forehead. "Galant's stable. He's going to need some extra attention if we're going to have him combat capable anytime in the next week, but he'll recover."

Lockheed's shoulder's slumped with relief at his words. "Thank you, Scrya. Really."

Hayate put a hand on the tall woman's arm. "It wasn't just him. You kept him alive until we got here." Lockheed managed a pinched smile at the words.

"Shamal. Status?"

"Busy. Mostly bad. Let me work." She didn't even glance over her shoulder at him, words clipped and sharp.

"Lockheed," Chrono asked next, "do you have device footage of the attempt?"

"Yes, sir. Rosen, display timestamp Oh four seventeen, play recording."

" _Confirmation."_ A holowindow phased into place, and they watched from her perspective as the attack began.

 _Someone likes explosions,_ Hayate thought. Every attack that the figure unleashed detonated in some manner or another, and it was clear that she was trying to finish Amber off.

"Son of a bitch. That's her, that's the one that attacked Amber before." Qrow had Lockheed reverse the footage for a few seconds, then pointed. "See that distortion effect? It's the same one that she used when I tried to stop them."

Chrono nodded. "Then we have full confirmation that this is a related incident." Qrow turned and gave the enforcer a slightly disbelieving look, which Chrono waved off. "Yes, yes, I know. Of course it was the same person. I needed to say it for the record."

"Right… Chrono, we gotta move the sting forward and take down her cronies. If they don't already know this just happened, they will soon, and we'll lose them."

"We're just as likely to lose them if we rush the sting, Qrow." Chrono shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "It never rains… all right. Captain Yagami. Get upstairs, take… Scrya, you said Galant's stable?"

The librarian looked up. "Stable, yes. I wouldn't want to move him yet."

"That's good enough. You have a rapport going with Sustrai, don't you?"

"...I hope you're not telling me to ask her to turn herself in. Because, I don't think she'd listen."

"It's better than nothing. Yagami, take Yuuno and get topside. You and Enforcer Harlaown run the sting op." Chrono grimaced, continuing. "No magic, Captain. Aura training only, because if it turns into a fight, you're probably going to get seen. Qrow and I will finish the cover story while you're at it."

"Sir." Hayate double-timed it for the elevator, Yuuno at her heels.

* * *

The sun was just starting to shine its light over the campus. There weren't any students out and about; everyone who was anyone had been at the dance, and were sleeping off the late night.

They were split into two teams. Fate and Nanoha were in position on the ground below the open second story window, ready to jump upwards in Aura-assisted leaps and breach from the outside. Hayate, Arf, and Yuuno were moving quickly and quietly through the visitor dorm's hallways, reaching Emerald and Mercury's room in moments.

' _We're at the door,'_ Arf thought to her. ' _Glynda's masterkey program says that the door opened once… at oh-five-hundred sharp.'_

' _We're in position. On your count.'_ Fate signaled Nanoha with one hand, counting off along with Arf's voice in her head. At three, they both jumped, grabbing the window ledge. Fate cut the curtain down in one swipe of _Bardiche's_ bayonet, and at the same time the door flew open.

The room was _trashed._ One bed was upended against the wall, the other was resting in a twisted mess atop a shattered dresser, and debris was piled in a heap in on the floor.

Arf paused in the door, sniffing. "I smell blood."

It only took a moment to check the closet and bathroom to make certain that the targets weren't hiding. Fate shook her head. "Clear. We're too late."

Hayate flipped on the light, and the shape on the floor was revealed to be a body. The little brunette's eyes widened. "...Cinder?"

The woman was in bad shape, clearly unconscious. Her face was covered in just-forming bruises, one eye swollen shut and lips cracked and bleeding, her nose clearly broken. More torn skin and contusions marred her bare arms and waist. Her blood was spattered across the floor and one wall, a few drops even on the ceiling.

Faint prints from the toes of heavy boots left a trail of red stains to the window, and red, smeared fingerprints marked the frame. Fate wasted no time. "Arf, _track them._ Hayate, Nanoha, go with her. Yuuno, let's make sure she's okay to move, we've got to get her to the infirmary."

Yuuno started checking the beaten woman's condition. Fate held her scroll to her ear, and a moment later the call connected. "Chrono."

" _Fate. What's the situation?"_

"Black and Sustrai are already gone. We found Cinder Fall unconscious in their room, looks like a mug-and-run but we won't be sure until she's awake and able to tell us what happened. Tell the headmaster that he needs to question the students in the surrounding rooms and find out if they heard anything."

" _Copy."_

"I have Arf tracking them. Judging by Fall's injuries, her blood's got to be all over them. Nanoha and Hayate are with her."

" _Understood. Keep me posted."_

Fate killed the call.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ you didn't see them walk by?! She has _green hair,_ and he has _robot legs!_ Their scent trail leads right here!"

The dockworker shrugged. The burly man was tall enough to look Arf eye to eye, and didn't seem at all put off by her temper. "I dunno what yer talkin' about, kid, but I sure as hell don' like yer tone. I'm just doin' my job, and my job is somethin' I do right every time. I ain't gotta answer to you."

Arf growled, tail bristling, but Hayate put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned around the familiar, intentionally raising the pitch of her voice just a little bit more than necessary. "Are you sure you didn't see either of them, sir? They _totally_ took my handbag last night at the dance, it's got all my best things in it! We just want to get it back!" Nanoha picked up on the cue perfectly, nodding her head and voicing her own whining complaint.

It worked like a charm. Suddenly instead of a trio of uppity troublemakers asking stupid questions, they were a pair of ditzy teenagers and their overprotective faunus friend. The dockworker's expression lightened a little, a small amount of honest concern making itself known. "Aw, shit. Some kids stole somethin' from you?" He shook his head, mouth twisting into a frown. "That's a damned shame, girls. Wish I could help you, but I didn't see anyone strange comin' through. Only people I seen in the last two hours were a pair a' maintenance techs takin' a bullhead out for fixin' up at the shop downtown."

"Aw, darn." Hayate pouted, making sure to look properly put out. "Thanks anyways, sir."

"Have a good mornin', girls." The man turned and walked away.

They started back the way they came. Arf looked fit to punch something, voicing her complaints in a growling whisper. "I don't get it. Their scent trail led _right there,_ right out onto the landing pads. Cinder's blood, his stinky legs, everything!"

Hayate nodded along, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "He did say a bullhead left. They could have hitched a ride."

Nanoha tilted her head. "Didn't Team RWBY do the same thing the day we crash landed?"

"We'll ask the headmaster when we get back."

* * *

"I found evidence on the walls of the elevator shaft. Columns of puncture marks, two rows of four, alternating between opposite walls and spaced out by an average of four meter per row. I had a hunch, so I asked Signum's opinion and she confirmed it for me. They're marks from climbing spikes, made during ascent." Chrono paused, his frown deepening. "The perp had to be strong and fast both to manage that. Signum thinks she could pull the same thing off with the right equipment and time to practice first."

Lindy nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Any _material_ evidence?"

"Negative, Admiral. Judging by what we saw in the footage from Lockheed's device, the perp is able to manifest glass-like projectiles, which vanished without a trace after being used. It's entirely possible that this is a display of fine control of the same ability."

Lindy looked across Ozpin's desk to the headmaster himself. "While it does very clearly sound like a Semblance in use," he stated, "I unfortunately have never heard of an individual with the specific ability. I will make inquiries to the other academies, but I cannot promise any results."

The elevator dinged, and Hayate stepped through. "Sirs. Admiral."

"Captain," Lindy nodded to her. "Status?"

Hayate looked troubled. "No dice, Admiral. As far as we can guess, the targets reached the docks undetected and somehow managed to hijack a bullhead without raising any alarms. The dockmaster on shift didn't report anyone of their descriptions coming through the area, though he did mention two workers taking a bullhead out to Vale for routine maintenance. Schwertkreuz is transmitting the full report to Durandal and S2U now."

Chrono opened the incident report immediately, skimming through it. "Subject Shatter has displayed the ability to surround at least one other individual in that illusion effect of hers. I don't like coincidences, Admiral."

"Neither do I, Captain. We will have to assume that Subject Shatter is in league with Sustrai and Black at this time. Pass the word to the others."

"Yes, ma'am." Chrono closed the holowindow, turning to Ozpin. "Headmaster. Do you have word on Fall's condition?"

"Glynda is with her now, Captain. She's waiting for her to wake up."

* * *

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

Steady, short tones drew her out of a black, pained stupor. The pain itself wasn't forefront in her mind, disguised behind the numbness of some sort of pain-killer. There was a faint scent in the air, the chemical odor of antiseptics and cleaning compounds; The air smelled sterile. _Infirmary._

She didn't dare open her eyes, and cautiously tested the motion of her arms. They moved, and while new pain flared through her nerves in protest, the slight sideways movement was unrestricted.

Cinder didn't let out a breath of relief, but she definitely felt it. Her eyelids slowly fluttered- _one_ eyelid fluttered open. The other wouldn't move, but she could feel the swollen flesh complain.

"Ms. Fall?" A voice made her start, and she couldn't stop the groan from slipping past her lips. She turned her head to find the source.

 _Her._ "...Professor." Glynda Goodwitch was sitting in a chair next to the bed, concern etched on her face.

"How do you feel, Ms. Fall? Do you need anything?"

Professor Goodwitch had been the one who responded during that first Dust robbery, before the beginning of the semester. If there was anyone who _might_ recognize her… _No. The lighting was right. I know that. Don't react. Play it cool, Cinder._

 _Play it cool… I can taste the irony._

Cinder righted her head, using the movement to disguise her glance around the room. It was a private recovery room in Beacon's infirmary, marked by the academy's symbol running along the trim boards of the off-white walls. There was no one else in the room.

She let a little note of confusion color her pained words. "What... what happened?"

"We found you injured in your teammates' room, Ms. Fall. I was hoping you could tell us."

Cinder closed her eyes, taking as deep a breath as she could and letting it out. "I… Mercury and Emerald are… ah-" Fire flared through her ribs, and not the kind she was used to. She let the pain cut her off for a moment before continuing. "-they're troublemakers. Have been the whole year. They were acting- they were acting suspicious after the dance, and…"

Glynda was taking notes on her scroll, listening intently. "Take your time, Ms. Fall."

"...I went to wake them early and keep them… busy. Idle hands. It's a team leader's j- hnn- job to keep her team in line."

"What happened then?"

' _You two need to leave Beacon. Immediately. Disappear into Vale and hide until I need you, you're more important to me free and mobile than captured.' She steeled herself, clenching her fists. 'Make it look real.'_

 _Emerald had hesitated, but Mercury had simply shrugged and nodded. 'You're the boss.'_

"They… they _attacked_ me, Professor. I tried to fight back, but…" Cinder let the flush of actual shame darken her face. Mercury hadn't held back and had _beaten her into the ground._ Without relying on the Maiden powers, she wasn't a match for him in close quarters. "I…"

"Shhh. That's enough, that's enough." A cool hand rested on her forearm, in between the bandages. "Just rest, Ms. Fall. Your Aura is helping, and thankfully there's nothing too serious. We'll talk again when you've recovered a bit."

Sitting and doing nothing went against the grain, but Cinder couldn't deny that the words held their own appeal. She let the medications draw her back into their embrace.

* * *

"You know, I'm not gonna lie. It felt really good to beat Cinder's ass back there. And even better, she _told_ me to do it." Mercury hummed cheerfully to himself over the drone of the bullhead's engines, eyes on the cityscape ahead.

Early Sunday morning; the last day of the weekend, a time when the majority of industrial complexes were closed. Only cafes and breakfast joints tended to be open at such a time, and there were very few of them in the warehouse district of Vale. In the seedier parts of the district, there were even fewer. It was the perfect place to ditch a stolen bullhead and disappear.

Which is why Emerald was a little bit _worried._ "Mercury, what are you doing? This is the commercial zone."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." He pulled back on the stick, and the bullhead climbed higher.

"We're supposed to disappear, not make targets of ourselves."

"I know." He tapped a few controls and leveled the bullhead out. "The best way to do that is with a good distraction, after all. By the way, how's your landing strategy?"

The non sequitur gave her pause. "My what?"

"Your landing strategy. You know. Your 'oh crap I'm falling I better hit the ground right'. How is it?"

"...I can manage. Why?"

"Good. I'd hate for you to ride this piece of crap to the landing." The bullhead nosed down a little, accelerating as it started to lose altitude.

Emerald grabbed the back of the pilot's chair and looked out the windscreen; they were pointed right at an apartment complex, still thousands of feet away. "Wait, _what?"_

Mercury smiled grimly, and toggled the cargo doors. They whirred open, and the roar of the air outside filled the cockpit. "Like I said," he shouted over the wind, "a distraction!"

"Mercury, what the fuck is wrong with you?! Those are innocent people in there!"

"Wow, you act like we're not planning to, you know, unleash the White Fang and a horde of Grimm into the city. Did you forget about that, Em?" Mercury shook his head, and pushed the throttle home. "I don't see why it matters whether they die now or die then, they're still dead in the long run."

 _This… no, this is insane! We're not trying to kill innocents, we're trying to take down the_ kingdom! _The people in charge!_ Emerald made a grab for the stick, jostling it from Mercury's grasp. The bullhead tilted, yawing dangerously.

The assassin cursed, and elbowed her in the temple; even with Aura shielding her from the blow, Emerald saw stars. "You've gone fucking soft, Em. Bad things happen." He shoved her away and she stumbled back, losing her grip on his chair.

She didn't lose her grip on _him,_ though. She made sure to keep that.

Mercury glared at her, making sure she wasn't going to try anything else, then turned his attention back to his flying. The bullhead righted itself. "Autopilot's locked in. Time to get off this ride."

She jumped first, hoping he wouldn't notice, and thanked whoever was listening when he jumped off right behind her.

The ground was a little too close for comfort, but her weapon's chain blades caught on a building's roof and let her bleed away the momentum in a graceful swing. She tossed herself back into the air, tucking into a roll when she hit the next roof over and coming to a stop. Mercury landed behind her, having ridden blasts from his ankle-guns to safety.

The bullhead exploded when it hit, blasting a deep crater into the park next to the apartment complex and scattering shrapnel and fire in every direction. A few seconds later the rumbling _boom_ of the explosion washed over them.

Mercury gaped at it for a moment. Emerald didn't dare show the relief she felt. She saw comprehension flicker in his eyes, and then her vision was blinded by stars again.

When her eyes cleared, Mercury had her by the throat, squeezing. She struggled, grabbing his forearm. "Let… go of me!"

"Never, _ever_ get in my head again. Do you hear me?" He shook her back and forth, his face a mask of anger. "Are we clear?"

"C-crystal." She gasped the words out. "C-clear as crystal."

"Good." Mercury dropped her to the ground, and his boot slammed into her chest, blasting the wind from her lungs. Like he hadn't even raised his foot, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking for the fire escape. "C'mon, we gotta find a place to hide till things blow over."

* * *

Shamal was ever the kindest and most nurturing of the _Wolkenritter._ She always did her best to put forth a polite, modest face to the world, showing compassion that was in no way a facade. Her ability to maintain such through all the deprivations they had suffered during the centuries under the Book of Darkness was a testament to her willpower.

Or her coding.

Zafira tried to not think too hard about that.

Still, like anyone, it was possible to read Shamal. Only a select few individuals were privilege to the ability; Hayate, by dint of being their master as well as her general _Hayateness,_ and the other _Wolkenritter._

Generally, Shamal fell into three modes of conduct, with allowance for variations in her responses given the situation. If she was showing the gentle, charitable side of herself, everything was fine, everything was good, and if there was any sort of problem she was of the opinion that it was trivial and didn't require talking about. If she let her normally quiet tones be soiled by foul language of any sort, there was something actually bothering her and she was expressing it in her words.

When Shamal _stopped being polite,_ when she _stopped being cordial,_ when her words were clipped and terse and she couldn't be bothered to take the time to speak in complete sentences, that was when there was _trouble._ That was when one who knew Shamal knew that she was truly worried.

"Zafira."

"Shamal." He never stopped scanning their surroundings, but he cocked an ear to let her know he was listening.

"I can't halt the breakdown. Drastic measures necessary. Inform the admiral."

"How long?"

"Three days at best. Could die tomorrow."

He nodded. "Understood. I'll have Vita deliver the message."

* * *

 _We're past missing teeth,_ Torchwick lamented to himself. _We're way past missing teeth._

Admiral. Specialist Winter Schnee had called the Lindy girl _Admiral._

That meant two things; first off, the girl named Lindy Harlaown was quite a bit older than she looked, and second, _being an admiral requires a navy._

Lindy Harlaown, whoever she was, was not a _refugee._ However, the only kingdom that supported an active military _navy_ was Mistral.

He rolled that thought around in his head as the trees passed by under his bullhead. Neo slept on in the passenger seat behind him, still wearing her dress from the night before and happily oblivious to anything around her.

Torchwick envied her that, just a little bit. _No. No, it doesn't feel right._ Torchwick had listened to the recording that Neo had been able to make; while the music was loud and the buzz of conversation constant, the _admiral's_ voice had been clear for several phrases.

She spoke with an eerie, odd accent; _textbook perfect,_ not a single grammatical flaw, error, or even shortcut present in her words. _Whatever_ Admiral _Lindy Harlaown is, she is not a Mistralian._

On top of that there was still High Yield and her merry band of flying artillery cannons, as well as the damaged cruiser in the drydock in Vale. That was no oceangoing vessel, he knew, and unless Mistral had managed to develop _and_ produce a brand new prototype airship without the slightest hint of word getting out, _on top_ of somehow managing to develop a system to let their soldiers _fly_ and shoot _death lasers…_ No, High Yield was not Mistralian either. _Atlas_ was the frontrunner for weapons and materials technologies. Not Vale, Not Vacuo, and most definitely not _Mistral._

Finally, there was the Dust at the crash site. He'd taken the sample to a contact of his, well versed in the particulars of Dust, for an expert opinion. The man had taken the clear, colorless crystal with something akin to glee, and immediately proclaimed it to be an as-yet undiscovered form of Dust.

A short battery of tests later, he had also proclaimed it to be _bland._ Somehow, the crystal was completely lacking in elemental attunement. ' _The closest comparisons I can make to it are lightning Dust and fire Dust, as they're the closest forms we have to_ unaligned _energy. But this is something different, something new.'_

The crystal had reacted in much the standard way when disturbed with a strong enough impact. It detonated, but the shockwave released was almost invisible despite the energetic and concussive effect it had on its surroundings. His contact had asked if it would be possible to procure more of the new Dust.

Torchwick had told the man he'd see what he could do, which was why the Emerald Forest was once again passing by below. He needed more samples of the strange pure-Dust to experiment with.

An hour later saw the crash site coming into view. Torchwick used _Melodic Cudgel_ to nudge Neo's foot, and the girl snapped awake. He'd learned long ago to never try to wake her up by _hand._ "Hey, shorty. Up and at 'em, we're here."

She blinked a few times, then stretched and let out the tiniest, most adorable yawning squeak before unbuckling her harness and grabbing her parasol. Torchwick set the bullhead down in the trees near the site, and shut the machine down. Neo opened the hatch, and they hopped down to the forest floor.

The edge of the treeline was a scant fifty feet away. They carefully scanned the surroundings for any hint of Grimm, and satisfied they were alone, walked up to the start of the torn depression.

Torchwick stopped dead when he looked down into the scar, and Neo stopped next to him. "...correct me if I'm wrong, but those weren't there the last time, were they?"

There were new outcropping of Dust scattered throughout the crash site; different shapes and sizes, but all roughly symmetrical, forming starbursts and thin spires that seemed to reach into the air toward the sky above. Rather than being made of the same clear, colorless crystal as the rest of the Dust, they were a nearly blinding white.

Neo shook her head, eyes wide. She looked up at him, making a tentative grabbing motion.

"...Let's go… take a look at them, but don't get too close and don't touch them, okay?" Torchwick cautiously started down the slope, making his way to the closest spire of white Dust. Neo stuck close behind, watching for Grimm.

Up close, the crystalline spire was even more impressive, standing almost as tall as he was. It was standing on a relatively flat stretch of ground. The edges were razor sharp, glinting from the light of the sun overhead and from their own internal glow. In the very center of the shape, he could see _something,_ and he leaned closer for a better look.

Hard, angular edges, a roughly box shaped object big enough to hold in both hands. Smaller pieces were scattered throughout the rest of the crystal's base, and some were close enough for him to get a good look.

They were clearly metal, man-made pieces of steel or aluminum or some other alloy. Torchwick looked around, and counted almost a half-dozen more of the white Dust outcroppings. He felt something in his head _click,_ making him frown. _Not Atlas, not Vale, not Vacuo, and not Mistral…_ "Back to the trees, kiddo. Grab the tent out of the bullhead, the camouflaged one. Let's get it set up and keep an eye on these things."

They hurried back. Neo perked an eyebrow.

"Those crystals formed around something, and there are a bunch of them. I want to see if it happens again. Might answer a few more questions."

* * *

"Police bulletin just came in, Oz." Qrow held up his scroll as they gathered in the elevator. "Bullhead crashed in a park in Vale, ID numbers match it to the one that's missing."

"Then Mercury and Emerald must be somewhere in the city, still." Ozpin glanced over the report, nodding. "I will ask the Vale PD to put out an APB for them, as their atack on Ms. Fall gives us lawful reason for their arrest. Felonious assault."

They rode in silence the rest of the way, and crossed the vault's hallway to the end. Lindy addressed the healer when they arrived. "What's the situation, Shamal? Vita told us you had bad news."

They'd gathered in the vault again, the _Arthra's_ command staff and the Maiden's protectors. The back of the vault was lit by Yuuno's green glow; his taking over for Shamal's life-supporting efforts was the only reason she was willing to step away for even a moment. "It is bad news. I am unable to prevent the Maiden's Power from continuing Amber's decline. She will expire in three days at the best, possibly by tomorrow morning, even with our efforts to sustain her."

Qrow turned away, biting off a bitter curse. Glynda and Ironwood said nothing, but the weight of their perceived failures colored their features. Ozpin let out a slow breath, lowering his head for a moment before looking back at her. "What about repairing the stasis chamber?"

"Impossible, I'm afraid. Yuuno and I have been sharing the burden, which gave me the time to contact General Ironwood's research and development team that created the stasis chamber. We do not have the parts on hand to repair it, and… there simply is not enough time to fabricate new ones and deliver them to us, even if they worked around the clock." She glanced at Lindy and Chrono, pursing her lips. "And yes, Admiral, I followed all procedures to remain as anonymous as possible. General Ironwood's own codewords and clearance sufficed for the discussion."

"Do you have a recommendation, Shamal?" Lindy's voice was quiet.

"I… do. But it is… unprecedented, and would require permission from her guardians as she is unable to give her consent." Shamal looked at Ozpin and his group.

He nodded, letting his hands rest on his cane's pommel. "Explain, please."

"I believe I can save her life, but it would require extraction of the Maiden's Power from her body, permanently. If I can successfully excise the power from her, her Linker Core should recover and her body would follow suit."

"That is… an admittedly terrifying prospect, Ms. Shamal. Our greatest concern regarding the Fall Maiden's power itself is that it would rejoin its stolen half if Amber died. If you… remove it from her, would that not be the same thing, as far as it is concerned?"

"I do not know, Headmaster. As I said, this would be completely unprecedented. The closest analogue I was able to make to the Maiden's Power was a… distinct source, like an additional Linker Core in the same body. Accessing and handling a mage's Linker Core is no small feat, but one that I am well-experienced in. However, I have never removed one and severed its connection to the mage's body." She shrugged, a helpless gesture. "Do I believe we can contain it once it is no longer confined to Amber's body? Possibly. Probably, even. But I cannot say for certain, and the fact remains that we are working under a… time limit. There simply is not enough time to research a better option, because her death will be the end of it."

Ironwood rubbed his jaw, frowning. "So there is a very real chance that despite our every effort, the Fall Maiden's power will be reunited in her attacker regardless of what we do."

Chrono cleared his throat. "If I may, General?" Ironwood nodded. "I understand your concerns regarding the Maiden's Power, but dealing with magical threats of magnitude is what we _do._ I'm of the opinion that this choice is a simple one. Right now we have one opportunity to save Amber's life. If her power does escape containment, then we deal with that when it happens."

There was a faint sloshing of liquid, and they glanced over to see Qrow looking at his flask. He left it unopened, returning it to his pocket. "...I say we do it, Oz. I already failed her once by being too late. I don't want to be too late a second time."

Ozpin glanced at the others. Glynda nodded, and Ironwood did as well a moment later. "Then we are agreed. Please save her life, Ms. Shamal. What comes later is the concern of tomorrow."

The blonde knight nodded. "Admiral. I am requesting permission to have Sergeant Yagami brought down here. I believe her unique talents will be useful in this endeavor."

"Granted. I'll have Hayate contact her immediately. I believe she is still on campus waiting for Specialist Schnee to escort her back to the _Arthra."_

* * *

Cinder's injuries, while not life threatening, had the infirmary staff concerned enough to not want to release her without a full day's observation. Putting up too much of a fuss would only make people suspicious, so she'd had no choice but to submit to the doctor's orders. That meant there was only one place that she could expect any sort of actual privacy.

 _Hiding in the bathroom of all places._ Cinder lowered herself onto the toilet seat, biting back a curse as her ribs protested the motion. _Mercury enjoyed that far too much. We're going to have words when I see him again._

At least the bathroom was clean. Spotless, even, as to be expected of a huntsman academy's medical facilities. She let herself sit for a moment to let the pain ebb, then pulled her scroll from her pocket and tapped in a few short commands.

A moment later, the black queen piece imposed itself over the background. _Encryption active. CCTS monitor log disabled._

Cinder typed in a number from memory, and held the scroll to her ear.

" _Cinder."_

"I've located the Fall Maiden."

" _Located but not eliminated, by your voice. You have not finished your task, dear Cinder?"_

"There have been complications-"

" _I'm quite sure there have been. For what do you reach out to me, dear Cinder?"_

"My assistants have been compromised, and are unable to aid me further. Additionally, they have placed guards around her that are more capable than I was expecting, using weapons the like I have never seen. Military bearing, and using nonsense codewords to hide their communications." The next words stung in her throat, but she forced them out, sheer loathing at having to speak making her lips feel like they were going to blister. "I require reinforcements to provide an appropriate distraction."

" _I see. Then I will send you your reinforcements, and their entourages. I look forward to your success, dear Cinder."_


	32. Chapter 28

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 28 - Queen's Gambit

 _Damn if I couldn't use a drink right now._ Qrow left the flask in his pocket, something he'd been doing more and more over the last week. He _wanted_ to sip from it; guzzle it, even, but he knew that however comforting the buzz of inebriation was, it wasn't what was needed right now. He needed to be lucid. _This sucks._

But, the whole damned situation sucked, so he resolved himself to toughing it out, doing the best he could to stay focused just in case they needed him to do anything. _At least my hands aren't shaking,_ he thought with sardonic amusement. He'd tried to sober up a few years back once, and the sheer _misery_ of going through withdrawal had made him open up another bottle within a day or two. But it had also been a lesson on _dependency,_ and he'd made the effort to at least cut back on his intake.

For the moment though he was at loose ends, only able to watch while Shamal and the _little flying doll girl_ muttered to each other over Amber's comatose body. Her high pitched chirping of a voice was as clinical as the healer knight's was, but he almost couldn't take her seriously. Everyone else did, though, so that helped. They wouldn't have called her down here if she wasn't needed. Next to them, Yuuno Scrya was for all intents and purposes pouring his own magic into the healing ward around Amber, holding off her death as long as possible.

Finally Shamal turned to look at them all. "Okay. I believe we have a plan of action. It's going to be… odd, for those of you that aren't familiar with Reinforce's particular abilities."

"You mean aside from being a real life fairy?" Qrow tried to tone down the snark, he really did. Being sober always made him bitchy, though.

Luckily, the sprite-like girl found the comment funny, giggling behind her hand. "Aside from that! You see, I'm an artificial being, sort of like-" She cut off suddenly, then looked at Ironwood. "General, is he cleared?"

Ironwood thought for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "This has been a time for secrets to be revealed, at least between us all. But this does remain between us, Qrow."

"You got it. Sort of like who?"

"Penny!" Reinforce did a twirl in the air. "She's a robot girl but she's got a real linker core. I'm sort of the same, but like the other _Wolkenritter_ I generate a simulated body from my own energies!"

Qrow just stared at her for a moment, then looked back at Ironwood. "You weren't kidding around, Jimmy." The general just shrugged, and Qrow glanced back at Reinforce. "So… how's you being a real girl after all help out Amber?"

"Because I'm a Unison Device. My design purpose above all else is to merge with another mage to provide assistance in regulating flow from his or her linker core, and to provide a boost to mana processing and expression. Mistress Hayate insists that I develop as an individual as much as possible, and I do! But it still remains a primary facet of my construction." She flew a circle around Shamal's head, absently adjusting the healer's hat.

"The reason this is important is that I can't grab the Maiden's Power by myself. It's too... " Shamal paused, thinking of the proper word, "...it's too _slippery,_ basically. It squirms free from my bindings, and wraps itself around her linker core again. We're going to have Reinforce unison with Amber, and help me remove it from the… 'inside', so to speak."

Qrow and Ironwood exchanged a glance, and he knew the general's troubled expression was mirrored on his own face. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Nope!" Reinforce spun again, drifting to the side a little before righting herself. "But there's a first time for everything and we don't really have any other options!"

Shamal leaned to the side a little, calling past Qrow into the vault's hallway. "Nanoha! Come over here please!"

" _Hai hai!"_ The brunette ran over, one hand holding _Raising Heart's_ Buster Mode. "What do you need, Shamal?"

"I need you on standby. We're going to try to excise the Maiden's Power now."

"Got it." She took a position nearby, eyes still scanning the hallway.

Reinforce flitted around for a moment near Amber's head, and Shamal looked at Qrow and Ironwood again. "Last chance for any objections."

Qrow shook his head. "Like she said, we don't have any other options." He looked down at his boots for a moment, pursing her lips before looking back at them. "Just don't screw up. I want to be able to look her in the eyes and tell her I'm sorry."

Reinforce touched her hands to Amber's brow, and her soprano voice rang out. "Unison in!"

She vanished in a flare of white, the glow sinking into Amber's body in an instant. The girl's hair lightened to a golden blonde, and her chest moved in the first deep breath she'd taken in months.

Amber's eyes flew open, flaring orange with barely contained power. She sat bolt upright and _screamed._

Qrow grabbed for his weapon, the blade sliding out immediately. Ironwood was pulling his revolver, but before either of them could act further the scream died down into a ragged gasp.

The Maiden was white-knuckling the edges of the ruined stasis pod, trembling visibly. " _Ohgodohgodohgodithurts!"_

"...Amber?" Qrow asked hesitantly. At the same time, Shamal was cautiously calling Reinforce's name.

The girl took another deep breath and barely managed to hold back another screech of pain, hands squeezing the metal sides of the tube hard enough to dent it. "N-nono, no it's just me! Amber's still unconscious, and… and…"

"Rein? Are you okay?" The healer asked, a green-glowing hand already touching the girl's brow.

Reinforce jerked Amber's head up at the touch, and managed a jerky nod. "I'm okay! I just… thank heavens Amber's still comatose, and… if whoever stole her power is feeling even h-half of this… she's got to be _insane_ to still be functional! It… _everything,_ it just… hurts!"

"Do you need to abort?"

"No! No, I'm fine, it just… surprised me! I can distance myself from it a little."

Shamal nodded slowly, and removed her hand. "Your eyes are glowing, by the way. Some sort of flare effect, almost like fire."

"They are?" Reinforce tilted Amber's head, blinking twice. "Let me see here… ah. Ah! Yes, mana overflow being expressed through a design feature in the Maiden's Power. It's actually quite ingenious! Whoever designed the power put it in a… call it a release valve so that the body doesn't end up channeling too much energy and burning out!"

Qrow slowly put away his weapon, and Ironwood sheepishly holstered his gun. The general rubbed the metal strip in his forehead, frowning. "That's… interesting, I'm sure, but…"

"Oh! Yes, I can access her linker core directly. If she was conscious I don't think I'd be able to get the power to let go, because she'd be instinctively resisting my efforts, but… I should be able to… okay! Ready when you are, everyone!"

Shamal and Yuuno stepped back, and magic circles formed on the ground around both of them. Green chains of light sprouted from the circles, waving in the air. Behind them, Nanoha set her feet. "Ready, Reinforce," the knight said.

"Aaaand… now!" There was a _snap_ in the air, and a wave of orange light rose from Amber's chest. The binding chains leaped forth, wrapping around the aura of power-

-and slipping right through. The shimmering aura of power _moved,_ angling away toward the wall. Shamal called out a warning even as her and Yuuno's binds tried again to snare the wayward energy. Nanoha swung her staff around, tracking the glow. Her teeth grit.

"Sealing mode!" Her staff _shifted,_ the serious-looking pointy end reconfiguring to look slightly less ominous, before detaching completely and hovering slightly apart from the base. A few tiny pink wings of light manifested in the gap.

The aura fled through the wall, disappearing from sight. Qrow swore, his hand raised impotently.

"Divine . . . Buster!" A column of pink light _erupted_ from the U-shaped head of _Raising Heart,_ smashing _through_ the wall of the vault, boring through the bedrock itself in a blazing inferno of released energy. Over the strident hiss of disintegrating stone, Qrow could hear the staff's slide racking back again and again, spitting brass across the floor. "Break _shoot!"_

* * *

Cinder levered herself upright with a strangled scream of pain. Her chest _burned,_ the power in her gut raging as _something_ poured into it. She felt her eyes flare, and she clamped her hands over them, trying to hide the light from view. She could feel it searing at her palms, trying to get free.

Ten long seconds later, the surging, raging power in her chest drained away, leaving her heart hammering in silence. She flopped back onto the mattress, hands falling to her sides, and could only watch steam waft off her arms and out from under her hospital gown. She rubbed at her skin weakly, feeling the stickiness of cooling sweat.

 _Wh-what was… what was that? What the hell was that?_

* * *

The vault lights went out, plunging their surroundings into darkness. The body-wide beam of energy raged on a moment longer before thinning out the pink wisps, then vanishing entirely. Nanoha sucked in air, breathless from the exertion.

 _Raising Heart's_ voice echoed out through the darkness. " _Sealed."_ The device's synthesized tones sounded _smug._

Nanoha reached out a hand, and after an achingly long moment a seething sphere of orange power wrapped in bands of pink light levitated back to her, hovering over her outstretched fingers. "I- I got it!"

Green light from Shamal's hand flooded the chamber, revealing the hole burned through the wall. Smoke still wafted from red hot stone. "Good shot, Nanoha."

Qrow hesitantly stepped up to the hole, pulling out a small flashlight and shining it down the hole. The beam of light disappeared into the gloom, not finding the end. "Damn, kid. You don't do things by halves, do you?"

* * *

"Miss Fall?" A nurse opened the door, worry on her face. "Are you okay? I heard yelling."

 _Shit._ Cinder raised one hand to her face and rubbed at her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean…" She let her hand drop, trying to look a little embarrassed. "Bad dream."

"Must have been a doozy," the nurse said. "Is there anything I can get you?"

She picked at her bandages, lips twisting into a grimace. "Are these waterproof? I... well, I could use a shower. Woke up sweaty."

"Oh sure, let me just take a quick look at you." The grey-haired nurse bustled into the room. Cinder resigned herself to suffering the plump woman's touch for a few moments while her bandages were unwrapped and examined. "Oh, you're healing up just fine. Your Aura's taking care of things nicely!"

"So, it's okay if I…"

"Mm-hmm! Just don't scrub too hard, okay?"

The nurse gave her a list of what not to do, to which Cinder dutifully nodded along, until the woman was _finally_ satisfied and left. She made her way to the room's small bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

The toilet seat once again supported her when she sank down to take a few deep breaths. She could feel the power in her belly again, the same banked coals that had been present in her for the last year.

But now, in the silence and darkness, she could feel more. It was almost like when she'd seen the Fall Maiden again, and had felt that same _connection_ that demanded she take the other half and finally become _whole-_

Cinder felt her eyes twitch, pulling her gaze in the direction of Beacon Tower. _They did something with the Mantle. It's… free, unbound by flesh, but they're keeping it from me._ She could feel it trying to reach for her.

The bolt on the door flicked closed at her touch, and she twisted the knob to start the water in the room's small shower. Then she opened her scroll, checking to make sure the virus was masking her actions. She dialed a number from memory, holding the device to her ear.

It picked up after four rings. " _Took you fucking long enough."_ The woman's voice was low and grating, like it always was.

Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand, biting back her sigh. _I hate her so much._ "Circumstances dictated that I maintain a low profile for the time-"

" _Can it with the big words, Matchstick."_ Cinder's eye twitched, but she held back the snarl. " _You fucked up and she's making_ us _come clean up your mess."_

"I did not _fuck up,_ as you so indelicately put it. The situation is complicated because they have been ever more on their guard."

" _Shouldn't be our problem."_

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm so sorry to _inconvenience_ you. Are you going to help me _like she told you to do,_ or are you just going to complain?" _Don't lose your temper, Cinder. She'll do what she's told._

" _Fuck you, Sparkie! I had a good thi-"_

The voice cut off, and Cinder could hear scrabbling over the line. After a few moments another voice spoke, as light and airy as the first one had been heavy and earthy. " _Don't mind her, little flame."_ The new voice was also _condescending._ Like it always was. " _Our friend doesn't seem to realize that the faster we help you, the faster we can go back to our own tasks. What do you need?"_

"I need to discuss our potential plans, so I'm sending you a few files now. Beacon's current itinerary and deployments, harvested from my installation of the virus into the CCT tower mainframe." Cinder tapped out the commands, and her scroll beeped in acknowledgement.

" _Oh, your lovely little spy games met with some success? That's great to hear."_ Cinder heard humming over the line for a few moments. " _Oooh, that's interesting, that's very interesting. So the old man's pet bird is hanging around?"_

"He is. The old man and his pieces are in the way."

" _Hmm hmm, and there's a team of second years on a solo mission out in the Seven Steppes? Would be such a shame if something happened to them."_ Cinder heard her giggle, and a snort of amusement came from the background. " _All right then. We'll set up your distractions. The little bird will fly home for sure when his nieces try to save dear old Patch, and if those other students get in over their heads I'm sure the old headmaster will try his best to save their lives."_

Cinder raised her eyebrows. That was actually better than she was expecting. "How long do you need?"

" _Give us a week, most likely less. But the Academy itself is still your problem, little flame."_

"I have something in mind for Beacon and Vale, I assure you. We'll talk again."

Cinder closed the connection, immediately dialing another number.

It picked up immediately. " _What."_

That was the tone of voice she wanted to hear. Feigned annoyance hiding the taste of fear. "Adam. How are your preparations in Mountain Glen?"

" _We're ahead of schedule. The train is loaded."_ He paused for a moment, but before Cinder could speak he continued. " _The general's bitch was trying to follow up on the Paladin that Torchwick lost, but we threw her off the trail."_

"Really? You do know how to improve one's mood, Adam. Be ready to move within a three days' time."

Cinder killed the call, setting her scroll aside and letting her head tip back. The sound of the water running caught her attention, and she decided a hot shower _was_ exactly what she needed.

* * *

The first warning was the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Judging by the way Neo looked up as well, she felt it too. Torchwick exchanged a quick glance with her, and they bounded over to the fallen log that served as their observation point over the crash site.

A stretch of flattish ground in the ravine was _glowing._ A circle of white light ten feet in diameter was spinning on the ground, wrought through with twisted lines. When he fixed his binoculars on the spot, he could see gibberish runes made of the same white energy crawling through the designs. The lines started to straighten, becoming a diamond contained in the circle.

The flash of light nearly blinded him for a moment, but he looked away just in time. Beside him, Neo let out a squeak, her whole body giving a shuddering twitch.

"Sweetie, you okay?" Torchwick put a hand on her shoulder, and she gave him a quick nod. Looking back into the ravine, he found the patch of ground where the circle had been.

The circle was seared into the ground, smoke still rising from the blackened lines. In the center, there was a metal box bristling with antennae. He could see a cracked glass panel displaying a few blinking red and yellow lights and a swirling green disk.

A moment later, the box sparked and the lights went dead. Before his eyes, white Dust started coalescing around the box, needle sharp spikes reaching outward and upward until it was completely ensconced in a spire of Dust as tall as he was.

Torchwick lowered his binoculars. "Hot damn," he said, turning to look at Neo.

She wasn't there. He looked around frantically, spotting her running toward one of the older spires; the closest one. She reached it, bouncing up and down on her heels, and reached out to break a piece off.

"Hey!" Torchwick shouted, leaping over the fallen trunk. "Be careful with that stuff!"

She held up the thin piece of white Dust triumphantly, and then she _shattered._

Neo disappeared in an _explosion_ of white energy, strong enough to make the ground shake under Torchwick's feet from a hundred yards away. "Neo!"

Hands grabbed onto his shoulders from behind, and Torchwick stumbled forward. Neo's legs locked around his waist, her tiny fists pummeling his shoulders like a machine gun. When Torchwick caught his balance and looked over his shoulder at her, she was grinning from ear to ear, eyes wide with excitement. "The hell did you just do?"

She pointed over his shoulder at the distant crystal spire, then made a popping motion with her hand, and pointed at his feet.

"You just blinked here from all the way over there. Your range is only around thirty feet or so, isn't it?"

She grabbed his hat and plonked it onto her own head, thrusting her other hand into the air in victory.

Torchwick looked back at the spires of white Dust. "Huh."

* * *

They gathered as usual in the training arena, but many of the various students were showing more than a few signs of the late night before. Pyrrha and Jaune had started off with a warm-up lap around the arena, and the mob of students joined in behind them.

Over the last two weeks or so, more and more visitors from Haven and Shade had turned out for the sessions, and the number of participants from Beacon itself had swelled noticeably, leading to a throng of over fifty students jogging along in a loose group behind the two frontrunners from JNPR. They tended to stick together with their peers, but there had been plenty of cross-training between the students from the three academies, and they were becoming comfortable enough with each other for the jokes and light-hearted taunts to fly freely.

A group of the Haven students pushed ahead of the pack, calling out for her, and Pyrrha patted Jaune's shoulder before dropping back to run alongside them. His smile over his shoulder at her came easily, and then turned his head forward and pushed himself even faster.

He was only alone in the lead for a moment, and while it surprised him to suddenly have someone next to him again, it didn't surprise him that it was Ruby. That she was huffing and puffing to keep up with his pace was offset by the rose petals fluttering around them, making it clear how she'd caught up to him in the first place. "This has gotten pretty big, hasn't it?"

"Yeah it has. To think this all started just to help the, uh, refugees get used to things, right?" Jaune glanced over his shoulder again, looking back at the mob of joggers. "Speaking of, have you seen them yet? They're usually the first ones here."

"That's what I wanted to talk about. They're not here. Neither is Professor Goodwitch." Ruby was a little red-faced from the exertion, but she seemed pretty intent to keep up.

"I wonder why."

"Blake heard them all moving around in the hallway outside the room really early this morning. I wonder if something happened."

They ran in silence for a few moments longer, and then the lap finished and the mob of students broke apart into their usual sparring groups. Ruby bent over and rested her hands on her knees, and Jaune waited patiently while she caught her breath. After a minute or so she straightened back up. Jaune voiced the question that he figured she was already thinking about. "...should we go see if they need anything?"

"Yeah, let's do that. Uhm…" Ruby looked at the students all around. "I don't want to… just _leave_ though, so…"

"I got it. Hey, Pyrrha!" Jaune waved his partner over, and Pyrrha broke away from the Haven students to join them. "Ruby and I are gonna go see where the others are. Could you… you know, do the Goodwitch thing and get them coordinated into groups? Mix things up a little, get them fighting in teams with people they're not usually partners with?"

"I can do that, yes." Pyrrha nodded, and after a moment she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. "Text us if you need us, okay?"

Jaune squeezed back, nodding. "O-of course." He let go, and he and Ruby turned away to head for the door. Behind them, they could hear Pyrrha calling out for everyone's attention.

Ruby had a knowing look on her face as they passed through the archway to the locker rooms, grinning at him sidelong. He couldn't stop the blush from heating his cheeks, but he grinned back.

* * *

Ozpin was beginning to dislike the elevator. It used to provide security for his greatest secret, the only way down to the vault and the Fall Maiden within. Now, though, it was simply a bottleneck. There was too much to do, and despite being a well-manufactured piece of technology, it was too _slow._ Things were happening too quickly now, and he was wasting far too much time waiting for the lift to ferry him to and fro at its own unalterable pace.

He let the sigh pass his lips as the height of Beacon Tower slowly passed by, and almost in response his scroll vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen before bringing it to his ear. "James."

" _Oz. You've got a couple visitors in your office. Ms. Rose and Mr. Arc."_

"I see. Tell them I will be there shortly."

He tapped his cane against the ground while he waited, and a minute later the doors eased open. He stepped through to see James standing next to his chair, and seated in front of the desk were the leaders of RWBY and JNPR. "Ms. Rose, Mr. Arc."

They chorused in unison, "Hi, Headmaster Ozpin," and then seemed to realize how it sounded. Ruby ducked her head and Jaune scratched the back of his neck.

Ozpin paced around behind the desk, nodding to James before taking his seat. "How may I help you?" He pointedly looked out the window at the afternoon sun, then back at them. "You two are usually participating in the voluntary sparring session on Sunday, are you not? Is something the matter?"

The two students glanced at each other, and Ruby spoke up. " Uhm, is the room secure?"

Ozpin glanced at James, and the general nodded. "It is. Speak your mind, Ms. Rose."

"Well, we wanted to ask you that, Headmaster. We noticed that the TSAB people weren't at sparring today. Even Professor Goodwitch is absent."

Jaune nodded along with her words. "They never miss sparring, not all of them. Shamal's been skipping lately, but Lindy said she was working on something for her, but that's just her, not the entire group."

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, considering their words. "Entertain an old man for a moment, please. Why did you specifically say 'TSAB'?"

"Because _all_ of them are missing," Ruby responded. "Blake heard them moving around early this morning, and we haven't seen any of them all day. That means they're doing something… well, TSAB related, doesn't it? Which means it's really important."

"Did the _Arthra_ get compromised again? I mean, my team and I were able to do it, so it could happen again, right?"

Ozpin held back the sigh, shaking his head. "No, Mr. Arc. The _Arthra's_ location is still as secure as it has been."

"Then it's got to be something else, doesn't it?" Ruby shifted in her seat, but didn't break eye contact with him. "We're supposed to help the TSAB out. I mean, technically we're _contracted_ to do so now-"

"Contracted?" James raised an eyebrow.

Ozpin waved him off. "I will explain when we're done, James. Please, Ms. Rose. Continue."

"...right. Well, we're technically contracted, and the contract states that we're some of the TSAB's points of contact, and that we're supposed to work with them. But more importantly, we're contracted as _huntsmen,_ not _students._ If you're…" She trailed off, anxiousness evident in her eyes.

JNPR's leader picked up where she left off. "If you're employing us as actual huntsmen, then we need to step up and be huntsmen when you need us to be. We want to know how we can help. And not just the two of us, our teams as well. This is what we're training for."

Ozpin folded his hands, staring at the surface of his desk for a long moment. He could feel James looking at him. _With everything that has gone wrong today,_ he thought, _I cannot deny that it is gratifying to see something going right. They truly want to help, yes, but they don't understand the depth of the situation. Is it really within my right to involve them in something as dangerous as this of all things?_ He eyed James sidelong, questioningly.

Atlas' headmaster tilted his head, and gave a cautious nod.

Ozpin took a deep breath. "There… _is_ a situation, yes. I cannot yet say if there is anything you can do to help, because I do not know."

Ruby nodded. "Operational security, right?"

"Absolutely correct." Ozpin unfolded his hands. "The situation is… _tense,_ you understand. There are also things that I cannot tell you, even if I do accept your offer to assist. You understand this as well, I hope?"

They both nodded.

"If a situation does arise where your teams will prove an asset, I assure you that we will call on you."

They nodded again. "That's all we ask, Headmaster." Jaune spoke for the both of them.

"I will remember. For now, the two of you should return to your sparring session. What ifs and maybes are no reason to fall behind in your studies."

Jaune and Ruby got to their feet, and slipped into the elevator.

James waited until it closed behind them. "You're not thinking of letting them in on the secret, are you?"

"I do not know, James. What use are secrets amongst allies when that which you are hiding has already been revealed to the enemy?"

* * *

"Fate! Where've you been?"

A red flash of movement blurred in front of her, and Fate stumbled back a step, grabbing at the rose petals clinging stubbornly to her face. "Phhbf! Ah- hello, Ruby."

The young huntress trainee looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry about that! I just… we haven't seen any of you since the dance. You all missed classes today too, and Headmaster Ozpin said there was _something_ going on but wouldn't say what and-" Ruby paused, blinking, and tilted her head. "...are you okay? You look exhausted."

Fate couldn't stop herself from swaying on her feet, but before she teetered too far Ruby tucked under her arm and propped her up.

Fate let out a grateful breath. She was exhausted; _drained,_ to be specific. The fragment of the Fall Maiden's power was being _very_ difficult, and she'd been called on to lend her assistance in reinforcing and maintaining the bindings around it. "I… yes, I'm sorry, Ruby. We've been… busy. And no, I'm not allowed to talk about it."

Ruby glanced around, making sure there was no one in earshot. The path to the dorms was clear. "OpSec, right? I understand." She fell into step next to Fate, hands clasped behind her back. "Well… Jaune and I did tell Headmaster Ozpin that if there's _anything_ RWBY and JNPR can do, to please let us know. So don't hesitate to ask us, okay?"

She managed a tired smile at the younger girl. "I'll remember. Did you need something yourself?"

Ruby nibbled her lower lip, rocking from side to side a moment as they walked. "Well… yeah, actually. Weiss and I finished going over that theory text that B was letting us read, and I wanted to…" Ruby trailed off, hesitating.

Fate perked an eyebrow. She prompted Ruby to continue. "...you wanted to…?"

"Well… I know you're all busy so I want to be able to help, but if it's, uhm… related to… you know," Ruby surreptitiously pointed _up,_ "I want to be able to help with that too in any way I can, so… I'd like to start studying _First Form Practical; Device Operation,_ but B said I need to get clearance."

Her other eyebrow rose to meet the first. "Practical application? That's… not easy to do right now. We don't really have the time to take you to the firing range and let you use one."

"I know! I just… I should still learn the textbook stuff, just in case, right?"

Fate thought for a long moment while Ruby opened the doors into the dorm building for her. "I… I'll tell you what. I'll talk to Lindy, and if she gives the go ahead, we'll give you access. Mediated through B, of course."

"Great!" Ruby walked with her to ZFSH's dorm room, smiling. "Get some rest, okay?"

"That's the plan. And I'll let the others know you asked about us."

* * *

"Teleport complete. Elapsed time from transfer start is eleven point three three seconds. Energy usage… hm. You would only have to fire a secondary cannon to take up that much power."

Gil frowned, watching the purple-haired woman glide her fingers over her holographic keyboard array. "Is that a good thing?"

"Very good. It means that we have reached an efficiency level that the ship's reactor can support indefinitely. It is still taking far more energy than I would like to effect a teleport- and we're still losing telemetry from the probes immediately following the teleport, but it is progress."

He nodded slowly, glancing around. The woman- _Uno,_ she had said her name was, had boarded via standard teleport link three days previously, along with two companions; a taller, bulkier woman with darker, almost blue hair, and a shorter, wiry girl with a shorter style in red.

The tall woman was quiet and stern, seeming to prefer silence and to not speak unless spoken to. The younger one seemed fairly hot-headed, but held her comrades in high enough esteem to keep herself collected. Just like Uno, they were both wearing button-down shirts and slacks, but unlike her they weren't wearing them comfortably, sometimes tugging at their cuffs or collars, or just fidgeting in place.

All in all, it wasn't a bad deal. They'd brought their own provisions so as to not take from the ship's stores, and Uno's ability to interpret the data from the sensors had proven to be an absolute godsend. They'd made more progress in four days than his crew would have managed in a month on their own. "But there's still a problem with the probes shutting down."

"Correct. Something is interfering with their operation immediately after landing." Uno paused for a moment, tilting her head in thought. "I have an idea to circumvent the issue, but it is unconventional. I will need to contact my employer for additional equipment."

"By all means." Gil gestured to the communications console. Uno waved away her holo array and took the seat, hands typing out a fresh encryption code so quickly that her fingers blurred.

It took ten seconds of beeps and clicks for the call to connect. _Voice Only_ appeared on the screen. " _Uno! I've received your most recent reports, they've made wonderful reading material before bed."_

Uno pursed her lips, giving Gil a small, apologetic glance. "Our contact is listening, sir."

" _Ah. Good day, Mr. Graham. Are my assistants meeting your expectations?"_

He coughed into his hand. "More than I could have hoped. Uno needed to speak with you, do not let me slow things down."

" _Enough with the pleasantries, yes yes. Well then, Uno. What do you need?"_

"The interference field is continuing to prove detrimental to the probes we've been teleporting down, despite every effort to mitigate its effects on the circuitry. I believe that launching a probe from the ship in an orbital reentry pod will prove successful."

" _Atmospheric reentry in place of standard teleportation procedures? Ingenious! Crude, but ingenious! That method went by the wayside centuries ago!"_

"How long would it take to fabricate an appropriate reentry vehicle and teleport it to us?"

" _Hmm. I'll have it ready within the hour, of course."_

* * *

The quiet sounds of operating medical equipment should have been annoying. Qrow hated hospitals. _Like any good hunter,_ he thought with wry amusement. But for the moment, the quiet beeping of the monitors was something of a salve on his thoughts.

She was still unconscious. Shamal had inserted a feeding tube, and she was covered in little adhesive sensors on her face and chest, but Amber was breathing on her own and was fully expected to wake up within a few days. Even the scarring on her face was gone, repaired by the healer knight with what from nearly anyone else would have looked like a negligent wave of her hand.

The damage had been cleaned up. The destroyed equipment had been carted a hundred yards away and covered with a tarp, and across the room Galant rested irritably in another gurney. His partner, Lockheed, bantered with him in their native language. Something about him not being able to feed himself, judging by their gestures.

More worrisome though, was the Fall Maiden's Mantle itself. It floated above Chrono's hand in the center of the room, looking almost like a miniature star; streamers of seething orange erupted from the baseball-sized sphere, only to be forcefully sucked back into its surface. Lines of light were wrapped around it like tight bandages; they glowed bright blue at the moment.

The young man looked a bit wan. His forehead was dotted with sweat, and his expression was pinched. Before long, _S2U_ registered a warning sound. "Someone find the admiral, please. I've got ten minutes."

Hayate rolled over in her sleeping bag in the corner, rubbing her eyes. "Rein's already with her, they're in the elevator now."

A few minutes later, the admiral and the doll girl joined them. Lindy wasted no time in activating _Durandal,_ and she reached out to place her hand under Chrono's. The deep blue of the bindings around the Maiden's power faded to a light teal. "Secure?" He asked.

"Secure. Disengage."

"Disengaging." He lowered his hand and stepped back, and _S2U_ flashed into its card form.

Down the corridor, they heard Signum's challenge. Before long, Ozpin and Ironwood joined them; the general was carrying a cooler in his arms. Beacon's Headmaster watched the restrained power float for a moment. "How are things going?"

Lindy seemed disinclined to comment, lips already pursed. "Not as well as we would hope," Chrono answered for her. "The Maiden's power is, for lack of a better term, hungry. It's constantly draining the structure of the bindings, degrading them and forcing us to constantly spend mana to reinforce them. It's not… _hard,_ not with a device to regulate the flow, but it is quite tiring."

"They've been trading off every couple'a hours," Qrow said. "Yagami here lasts the longest, but even she's dead on her feet after four hours."

"M'oka-" Hayate's exclamation broke off into a loud yawn, and she rolled back over.

Chrono nodded wearily. "It's… tiring, yes. I don't want to take the _Wolkenritter_ off guard duty, so maintaining the binding falls on Fate, Nanoha, Hayate, Yuuno, the Admiral, and myself, with Shamal subbing in for a little while if we need it. It's… barely enough, but we're managing."

"We'll need to find a better long term solution, then. We can't have you all working yourself to the bone for weeks on end." Ironwood set the cooler down on a table, patting it with his hand. "Lunch and dinner for everyone, electrolyte drinks as well."

Hayate pushed herself up from her bag, and trudged her way over. "Cheer up, everyone. Tomorrow's Wednesday, the week's half over, right?"

* * *

There had been one more of the appearance events since Neo's rushed experiment, another metal box that was quickly ensconced in white Dust. Since then, things had remained quiet for several hours. With the sun setting, Torchwick urged Neo to get some sleep, and that he'd wake her if anything interesting was happening.

The scarred field generally remained quiet, and Torchwick spent the hours leading to midnight perched on the fallen tree trunk, nursing his flask and every so often taking a puff from his cigar. He hadn't done a real surveillance job in a long time, and he forgot how _peaceful_ it could be.

Peaceful and _boring._ Long stretches of nothing _hopefully_ interspersed by flurries of activity. _I just hope that escaping the boredom doesn't come with a price tag._

Light caught his eye, and he looked up. There was a dot of fire in the midnight sky, and it took him a moment to sight it with his binoculars. Even magnified, it just looked like a small fireball, falling through the air and leaving a contrail of glowing air behind it. Scale was impossible to determine.

A long minute passed, the ball of fire steadily growing larger. The contrail behind it pointed nearly straight up; he could hardly see the trail behind the fireball itself. _Wait a minute. Isn't that lovely. It's falling right toward us._

Torchwick lurched to his feet. _Oh damn it all, it's falling straight toward us!_ "Neo!"

She was awake in a flash, already next to him. She followed his gaze, blinking when she spotted the thing. Her face paled as she came to the same realization.

Before he could tell her to get them out of there, the fireball _puffed._ It slowed down drastically, seeming to hang motionlessly in the air compared to how fast it had been falling before. The flames around it faded away.

Torchwick could finally _see_ what it was; a capsule of blackened metal, less than a yard long and half that wide. It drifted sedately toward the ground like it was made of foam, then dropped the last ten feet to land with an audible _thud_ in the center of the crash site.

It sat motionless for a moment, steaming. Then the top blew off, four equal portions scattering away, and a rod rose into the air. The end unfolded into an antenna dish, which tilted and pointed back up the way it came.

He sat back down on the log. "Well how about that." Without missing a beat, he hooked Neo's shoulder with his cane, keeping her from running toward it. "Let's watch a little longer first."

* * *

"Contact. Atmospheric insertion successful. Receiving telemetry now."

The _Warding Gesture's_ main screen flickered, then divided into four separate panels. Video of the surface appeared. The probe had landed in the center of the torn valley; fallen trees and exposed stone were the backdrop to spires of glowing white crystal.

Uno tapped in a command, and one of the cameras zoomed in on a formation. In the center of the mass, they could see the silhouette of one of the other sensor arrays. "That explains our lack of success. My employer's calculations were correct, and oversaturation of mana condenses into a crystalline form. With the amount of power we've been forced to use to teleport the probes down, it was causing an immediate and damaging deposition effect at the target location."

"So our own teleport system was destroying the probes?" While no one had exactly volunteered, Gil was doubly glad they hadn't yet tried to teleport someone down.

"Indirectly, yes. But now that we have a working sensor array on the ground, we should be able to fine-tune the process shortly." A line of text on one of the screens caught Uno's attention, and she paused. '...interesting. Life signs detected. Two, at the edge of the crash site. I believe our efforts have been observed."

Gil muttered a curse. "They'll have to wait, then. How long until you think you can manage a higher class teleport?"

"I'm confident that we will manage a Class Four teleport by morning, which means we will have more working sensors on the ground. That will in turn let us manage to collect more data even more quickly. I imagine that we will manage a Class Two within two day's time, if there we have a… robust enough volunteer."

Class Four teleports were only used for heavily reinforced equipment; sensor probes with multiple redundant systems, et cetera. Class three teleports could manage more sensitive equipment, but still would scramble a living thing's body too badly for it to survive. A Class Two teleport, technically, could be used to teleport some living creatures, if they had the ability to rapidly regenerate from massive systemic damage, or if they were naturally capable of regulating their own bodies.

Like familiars.

The twins both stepped forward. Aria spoke for both of them. "We're willing to volunteer as soon as the system is tuned enough to handle us."

Uno perked an eyebrow, fixing yellow eyes on them. "It will be a one way trip, you understand. Teleporting you _back_ to the ship is still far beyond our capabilities, and may be for some time."

Lotte nodded. "If it was us down there, we'd want someone to come find us. We'll do it."

Gil nodded slowly. "I'll consider it. It may have to wait until we know if that weather system is going to move inland or not, though." He pointed at an image of the planet itself.

There was a storm forming over the oceans west of the crash site, slowly moving toward the coast.

* * *

" _Would you mind summarizing that for the viewers who just joined us?"_

" _Of course, Lisa. To put it simply, the Vale Weather Observation Center has never recorded a hurricane of this magnitude forming this quickly during actual storm season, let alone in the months leading up to it."_

" _And just how powerful is this storm?"_

" _I believe I can safely say that it is without comparison in modern memory. Our measurements show sustained core wind speeds in excess of a hundred and fifty miles per hour, and is only showing signs of strengthening."_

The news reporter turned back to the screen, never losing the perfect, almost scandalously bored composure she always displayed. " _There you have it, viewers. The edges of Hurricane Jumbo Proxy are expected to make landfall on Patch within twenty four hours. Authorities on the island are urging the inhabitants to remain calm and orderly-"_

The screen blanked out, Ironwood tossing the remote onto Ozpin's desk with a shake of his head. "And I thought my mission planners came up with stupid names. What did they do, draw words out of a hat and stick them together?"

Ozpin sighed and shook his head. "While amusing, it is beside the point. The fact remains that it is an anomaly in itself, in both its strength and in its rather inconvenient timing. We should send-"

The elevator letting out a _ding_ , interrupting him. Ozpin quirked an eyebrow, resting his elbows on the desk. "Enter."

The doors slid open, and Ruby _appeared_ in front of his desk, rose petals scattering across the glassy surface. "Headmaster!"

Fate entered behind her, at a much more sedate pace. However, the pinched, concerned expression was something they shared.

"Ms. Rose, Ms. Harlaown. What do you need?"

"I'm requesting permission as the leader of Team RWBY to be deployed to Patch to assist with the evacuation efforts!"

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, exchanging a glance with Ironwood. The general shrugged minimally, as if to say _she's your student._ He looked back at Ruby, frowning a little. "I'm certain that the authorities on Patch have everything under control, Ms. Rose. Your place is here at Beacon-"

"Patch is _home,_ Headmaster! We're training to be huntresses to keep the people at home safe, and right now they're in danger! I have friends at Signal that are in danger! My _dad's_ at Signal and he needs all the help he can get!"

Ozpin tented his fingers and watched her. Ruby shifted under his stare, but she didn't look away. After a moment, he let his eyes slide to Fate. "And you, Ms. Harlaown?"

"I have a lightning affinity, Headmaster. I'm the closest thing we have to a weather mage, and that storm…" Fate trailed off, then gave her head a sharp shake. "It's not natural, how fast it formed. I've witnessed summoned storms firsthand, Headmaster."

"You and your friends already have their hands full. Your absence will be felt, will it not?"

"I already spoke with the admiral. They'll make do without me for the time being."

He sighed, closing his eyes. It was a difficult and yet terribly easy decision to make. "Go, then. We were already planning to send Qrow to Patch. Gather your team and requisition any gear you need from the armory. A bullhead will be waiting for you in one hour."

Ruby didn't even bother replying, vanishing back into the elevator as quickly as she'd jumped out. Fate joined her, and the doors slid closed.

Ironwood grimaced. "I don't like this, Oz."

"Neither do I, James."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when they felt it again, interrupting Neo's demands of a _tea party_ of all things. Torchwick dropped his teacup, pulling the tent flap aside and crouching behind their fallen tree. Neo appeared beside him, handing him the still full cup with a scowl. Torchwick snorted a laugh, holding it in one hand while he focused his binoculars on the newly-glowing patch of ground.

It was happening on the far side of the crash site, nearly at the edge of the trees on the opposite slope. The same white circle as the last few times was there, but it quickly dimmed down from painfully bright to only glaringly obvious. The lines and sigils inside the rotating glyph were sharply defined, leaps and bounds more apparent than any before. A few seconds later the light brightened, and a flash obscured it.

When the light cleared, there were two figures standing back-to-back in the center of the smoking lines. Grey-haired women, Torchwick could see; one with long hair, the other with short.

They stood still for a moment, and then collapsed. The long-haired one fell to her hands and knees, and even from a half mile away Torchwick could see her throwing up blood. The short-haired one pitched onto her back, curling into a ball and rolling side to side. Faint obscenities reached his ears a few seconds later, muffled by distance.

Torchwick handing the binoculars to Neo. She looked through them, and her head tilted. He furrowed his brow. "...not sure what I was expecting. I mean, people out of nowhere, sure. Impressive as hell. But… I dunno, I guess I was hoping to see a bit more _panache."_

She handed them back, pointing animatedly. He peered through again, in time to see the long-haired one struggle back to her feet, wiping at the blood from her chin and then pulling her associate upright. The still-grounded woman batted her hand away, screeching something. Long-hair said something back. Shouting ensued, devolving into scuffle.

Neo appeared at his side again, having slipped into the tent while he was distracted. She had the kettle and extra cups balanced on one hand.

Torchwick raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?" She nodded, beaming. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Woo them with tea?" She nodded again, bouncing on her toes. "You know what? Great idea. Let's see if the crazy ladies will join us for a drink."

She jumped up and down and then leaped over the tree trunk, leading the way down the slope.

It took a solid five minutes to traverse the valley, and the two women were _still_ rolling around in the dirt and yelling at each other when they stopped a few dozen feet away. Their shouted words rolled over him, delightfully posh and smooth despite their strident tones. Up close, he could see that not only were they related, they were twins.

 _Attractive_ twins. He casually brushed Neo's elbow away from his side where she'd poked him, and cleared his throat.

Two sets of eyes, as grey as their hair, locked onto him. Short-hair released her sister from the headlock she had her in, and they both shot to their feet.

Torchwick nodded toward Neo, and she raised the kettle. "Fancy seeing you two drop in out of nowhere. Care to join us for a cup of tea?"

* * *

Shamal was taking her turn with the Maiden's Mantle, to take up the slack for Fate, Ozpin saw. Sentra Lockheed was passed out in the corner next to Nanoha, while Roland Galant was sitting up in his bed keeping an eye on them.

Chrono was on hand to greet him. "Headmaster."

"Captain. Enforcer Harlaown is with Qrow and Team RWBY now. Their bullhead should be taking off now."

"Noted. How are things on your end?"

"Progressing as well as can be expected, though not as well as hoped. Black and Sustrai have gone to ground, and Vale is a very large city for them to hide in."

"They'll have to come up for air eventually." Chrono made a notation on _S2U's_ holo-window, shaking his head. "Did anyone hear anything Sunday morning when they attacked Cinder Fall?"

"No, unfortunately. The dorm rooms at Beacon are somewhat soundproofed, to keep… loud discussions between teammates from bothering their neighbors. On top of that, all of the students in neighboring rooms were still out on the campus proper despite the late hour. The dance was in a way _too_ successful."

Chrono pursed his lips, marking another note and then waving the window closed. "The entire time we've always been one step behind with these people, it feels like. Subject Shatter escaping the hangar, Amber's assailant escaping by what had to be scant _minutes_ before we arrived, and then Black and Sustrai getting away. You'd think something could go _our_ way for once."

As if in reply, Ozpin's scroll starting buzzing. Seeing who it was, he turned it on in speaker mode, forgoing his usual two-ring wait. "Yes, Glynda?"

" _Headmaster. We just received a distress signal from CFVY. Grimm assaulted them en mass at the CCTS Relay they were repairing."_

Ozpin closed his eyes. "How bad is it?"

" _Their bullhead was grounded and disabled before they even managed to call us, and they're holed up in the bunker near the relay tower. The signal cut off mid transmission and there's no carrier response signal from the tower at all, so I can only assume that it's been destroyed."_

"I see. Have the dockmaster prep another bullhead, Glynda."

" _Yes, Headmaster."_

His scroll blanked, and Ozpin looked up to find Chrono watching him. "You heard, Captain?"

"I did. More and more I feel like the universe is laughing at me, I should learn to just keep my mouth shut." His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, before his hand dropped back to his side. "You're sending a rescue party, yes? Hence the bullhead?"

Zafira's gruff challenge echoed through the vault, and Ozpin turned his head to see Lindy and Amy approaching. "Admiral," he greeted her, letting his expression set the tone. "Team CFVY has called in a distress signal."

"Oh? They were on a training mission, weren't they?"

"Yes. Assisting in the repair of a damaged CCTS relay." The corner of Ozpin's mouth turned down. "I need to send a rescue party."

Lindy and Chrono exchanged a glance, and the admiral's face darkened. "Too convenient. We've already had to send seven of our number to Patch."

"They are my students, Admiral. I cannot and will not leave them to the Grimm."

She nodded. "As well you should not, Headmaster. I'm not arguing the necessity, I'm just pointing out that this is far too much of a coincidence. I don't like having to split our forces."

Ozpin turned away for a moment, tapping his cane on the floor. He opened his scroll again, tapping out a message. "Tell me who you can spare, Admiral. I am pulling Team JNPR out of classes, and if James can spare her, Specialist Schnee."

Chrono looked between them. "Send me, Admiral. I have the smallest mana reserves of us all, so my absence will be the least missed from the binding pool."

"You're not going alone, Chrono." Amy stepped forward, frowning.

"Amy, I won't _be_ alone. I'll have Team JNPR and Specialist Schnee-"

"And you're the only mage in the group! I'm useless here," she gestured at the floating Maiden's power, "but I'm good with my weapon and I can probably help fix the relay. No, I'm going with you."

Chrono looked at Lindy for help, but she just shrugged. "I can't argue with her logic. Do you have what you'll need in the field?"

Amy pulled up her sleeve to show her wrist-comp, and produced a pistol from under her skirt. Chrono _choked._ "Capacitor Arms and Duty Jacket. Haven't been without them since we landed on this mudball, ma'am! Er, uhm. No offense, Headmaster."

Ozpin spared a small smile. "None taken, Mrs. Harlaown."

Lindy let out a small breath. "Go, you two. Get anything else you'll need and be ready to deploy."

Chrono and Amy saluted, the former ignoring the redness of his face and the latter managing to look serious. Then they both took off at a run.

Ozpin and Lindy watched them go. "This morning," he mused, "we were twenty-six whole and hale, even if nine did not know the whole story. Then we were forced to send help to Patch, and were reduced to nineteen."

"And then there were twelve," Lindy continued, her voice quiet. "We cannot do this again, Headmaster."

"I know."

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're putting on your battle gear. Why are you putting on your gear?"

"We need to help."

"The _hell_ we do. We need to stay the fuck out of whatever the hell her lackeys are doing."

"There's a storm the size of Vale itself bearing down on Patch! It's going to scour the island down to the bedrock!"

"If we go, you get found. The game's up."

" _DAMN THE GAME!_ It doesn't matter if the pieces we're protecting all drown anyway! By malice _or_ by dumb luck!"

"You know I'm right, so stop trying to stare a hole through the floor. We need to _go._ "

"They might hate you for it."

"...So be it."

"As long as you're certain. I made my peace with it long ago."

"The only upside is that the bitch will _not_ see this one coming."

"Heh. There is that."


	33. Chapter 29

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 29 - The Four Seasons

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with Neo's parasol blade.

The two women had, quite cautiously, followed them back to Torchwick's erstwhile camp at the edge of the crash site. Now they sat across from him at the rickety folding table he'd grabbed from the bullhead, waiting while Neo cheerfully poured tea and put out a tray of crackers.

Neo plopped down next to him, then gave him a critical glance. She reached up with both hands and adjusted his hat. He opted to let it slide.

Silence reigned for a while, and Torchwick found himself… not at a _loss_ for words, but definitely wanting to be more careful with them than he normally tended to be. He'd watched the two of them while they'd walked together through the scarred terrain, and he knew for certain that the two of them were _fighters._ One more so than the other; the short haired one carried herself with apparent languidness and ease that, to him, spoke volumes about her sheer confidence in her abilities, while her longer-haired sister had something of a proper, studious air about her.

It didn't make him think of them as _scholar_ and _bodyguard,_ no. It made him think of close range and support. A dangerous combination.

They were waiting for him to speak, staring at him with identical grey eyes. _Ah well. In for a lien, in for a lot._ He cleared his throat. "I suppose introductions are in order, hmm? Roman Torchwick, and this is my associate, Neo." His diminutive partner looked at him sharply, and he gave her a short nod. _No lies today, shortcake._

The women glanced at each other, and Long-Hair spoke for the two of them. "I am Aria, and my sister's name is Lotte." Her posh accent tinged her words delightfully; he'd never heard one like it before. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Torchwick, Ms. Neo." _Now that's something I don't hear very often._ Neo elbowed him, and he flicked a finger at her to tell her to tell her to _knock it off._

The other sister, Lotte, leaned forward a little to grab her tea cup. "What are you two doing all the way out here, if you don't mind me asking? Nearest city's hundreds of miles away." Her words, while carrying the same accent, rolled off her tongue more casually.

"Would you believe me if I said I was looking for you?" Both of them raised their eyebrows in mild suspicion, and he was quick to wave it off. "Not you two specifically, but," Torchwick paused, picking up a cracker from the tray and taking a bite from it, "for answers, you see. This was the only place that I could hope to find them, and well…" He gestured toward the two of them with the half-eaten cracker, wondering if they'd take the bait.

The two glanced at each other again, and Aria tilted her head. "Go on?"

 _Looks like I need to sweeten it a bit more before they nibble._ "I definitely saw some strange things once we got here. Spires of Dust appearing out of nowhere like clockwork, holding little machines that spark and shut down, but last a little bit longer every time? It was obvious that it was all leading up to something bigger, and when I saw the last one fall from the sky instead of appearing from nowhere like the rest? I knew it was going to be soon. And lo and behold, a few hours later? _Poof,_ there you two are." He quirked a smile, and took a sip of his tea. "If I had to guess, it's almost like you're looking for something."

Aria nodded slowly, and took a careful sip from her own cup. "You are correct, Mr. Torchwick. We're searching for our friends, and this forest was the last known location of their airship."

"Ah, yes. Their airship. It must have come down pretty hard to make an impact trail this long; you'd think it would have had to have fallen all the way from space." He smirked. "Then again, they called it the ' _Stairway to Heaven.' "_

Neo drummed her feet on the forest floor, eyes twinkling. The twins looked at each other again, and Lotte shrugged. "He knows, sis."

"He thinks he knows," Aria retorted.

Torchwick nudged Neo. She held out her hand, and an image of the ' _Stairway to Heaven'_ appeared over her palm, slowly rotating in place. "We know."

Aria and Lotte both looked at the image, blackened and scarred damage obvious even through the tiny representation. They winced in unison, recognition and concern clear as day on their faces. _Gotcha,_ Torchwick thought. "Yeah, not any type of airship I've ever seen, and believe me I've seen 'em all. I know where your ' _Stairway to Heaven'_ is-"

"She's the _Arthra,"_ Lotte interrupted him.

"Okay. I know where your _Arthra_ is, and I know where her crew is biding their time. I _can_ get you there."

They both narrowed their eyes, warily. "...but?"

"I've been in this game for a long time, and the first rule is that you never do anything for free. Sure, you can walk away from me right now, and eventually you might well find them. Forgive me for being uncouth, but there's a lot of shit about to go down around here and without my help you won't reach them in _time._ So, here's what you need to do."

The twins exchanged another glance, and in unison sipped their tea. Listening.

Torchwick smiled. "Tell me about yourselves. Where you come from, where you're planning on going after this little excursion, and… hmm. How do you deal with the Grimm where you're from?" Torchwick made a show of checking his watch. "And don't dilly-dally. Clock's ticking."

* * *

Bullheads, less commonly referred to as tilt-jets, were heavily armored, with a bulbous main body that could hold several teams of huntsmen and a lifting capacity measured in tonnage. They were the most common form of small-scale transport airship used in Remnant, thanks to their versatility and tough construction.

That same durable frame, however, meant that on a good day they were bothersomely loud and tended to fly with all the grace of an overladen brick.

Today was _not_ a good day. Turbulent cross winds from the approaching hurricane battered the heavy craft, shaking it like a baby's rattle and making the engines _howl_ as it plowed through the air toward Patch.

Ruby grabbed her restraint harness, pulling it another notch tighter, and glanced about the cabin. Weiss was sitting across from her, carefully checking each of _Myrtenaster's_ Dust chambers, completely absorbed in her task. Yang and Arf were shouting playful insults at each other from their respective seats. Blake's eyes were closed, and for all the world looked like she was sleeping which Ruby knew had to be impossible given how much noise there was and how the bullhead was shaking.

She went back to her scroll. The promised text, _First Form Practical,_ was open on the screen, and she'd been pouring through it to keep from dwelling on the situation during the flight. Now though, the turbulence was getting bad enough that she was having a hard time keeping the scroll steady enough to read from.

A heavy thump caught her attention when Uncle Qrow dropped into the seat next to her, strapping himself in. "How you holdin' up, Ace?"

"I'm okay!" She belted the words out on instinct, but her uncle's sidelong glance made her pause to consider her words. "...I.. no, I am okay. It's kind of weird, but I think we all are."

"Arright. Why's it weird?"

"Because this is real, right?" Ruby gestured out the small viewport in the hold, where the roiling storm bands could be seen, ever closer. "This isn't some training mission that the teachers picked out for us because they know it's on our level. This isn't even like finding a surprise deathstalker in the woods during initiation-"

"Say what? Ozpin never told me about that."

Ruby huffed, crossing her arms. "We're fine, aren't we? But I mean, this is… we don't _know_ what's going to be out there. All we know is that Fate says it's _wrong,_ so there could be anything waiting for us, and it's really dangerous, and… and we're okay. Sure we're nervous, but no one's freaking out. I feel like we should be, but I'm glad we're not."

Another bout of shuddering kept him from answering for a moment. "That's good to hear, kiddo. Part of me wishes you weren't growing up quite so fast, but… I have a feeling we're gonna need that kind of maturity from you." He ruffled Ruby hair, eliciting a small laugh from her, then got up to check on Yang.

Ruby let her eyes drift out the viewport, where the first lights from Patch's ports could be seen in the distance.

* * *

Far below, the rolling green of the Emerald Forest gave way to foothills, the trees thinning out and replaced by scraggly grass and reddish dirt.

The Red Steppes, Jaune had read, earned their name due to the overwhelmingly red tinge to the terrain. There was very little in the way of vegetation, and so the dirt and stones were laid bare for the eye to see. Rust was the cause, according to his reading; it was mixed through the soil, hinting at rich deposits of iron underneath the surface. The kingdom of Vale operated numerous mines in the mountainous terrain, deeming the easily reached source of metal worth the risk of the Grimm.

The miners, sometimes referred to as Steppewalkers, were hardy and tough people, scraping a living outside of Vale's protective radius. They made enough income to be able to hire huntsmen for their own defense, but protecting the CCTS relays as well was more than they could manage. It was a fairly common occurrence for Grimm to damage the relay towers, necessitating constant repair mission from the kingdom proper.

 _It makes you realize how much the kingdoms need the outlying villages to function. Without a constant flow of resources from outside, the kingdoms would starve._

The rest of JNPR was strapped into their own seats, readying for their deployment. Nora had her headphones on, lightly bobbing her head along to an uptempo beat. Ren sat next to her, meditating, and Pyrrha was running an oilcloth along _Milo's_ blade. Near the front of the cabin, Amy and Winter Schnee were going over a schematic of the relay tower, while Chrono was pacing.

In fact, the TSAB captain seemed _anxious._ Jaune gripped his knees for a moment, feeling his own nervousness spike at the realization, then took a breath. "Chrono?"

"Arc." Chrono stopped in front of him. "You need something?"

"Just… how do you deal with it?"

Chrono raised his eyebrows. "Deal with what?"

Jaune glanced around at the others, lowering his voice a little. "Being in command. You're the, uh… executive officer on the _Arthra,_ right? Lindy's the captain, but you're in charge of the actual combat operations, right?"

"A bit simplified, but that's correct."

"Right. How do you deal with all the… everything? You've got over a dozen soldiers looking to you for direction, and it all falls on you to, you know, direct them. It's a huge burden."

"Ah." Chrono looked around for a moment, then sat down next to Jaune. "Command responsibility is one of the many things covered in TSAB Officer School. I graduated from that back when I was thirteen."

"Thirteen?"

"Beside the point. The fact of the matter is that I cannot let the weight of command bring me down, so I don't. It helps that the mages under my command are of the highest caliber, as you've surely become aware in your time working with us. It's something of a relief to know that Alpha and Beta can be trusted to get things done without constant oversight. Which… that's what it comes down to, I would say. As the officer in command, you have to be able to trust your subordinates to function."

Jaune thought about it for a moment, nodding slowly. "I… yeah, that makes sense. I had a- a rough spot during the first semester, and Ruby said something like that to me. Since I'm JNPR's leader, I have to put the team first because it's not about me, it's about them."

"You've got a good team, Arc. Put your trust in them, and they won't let you down." Chrono gave him a pat on the shoulder as he stood. "Just like I'm putting my trust in you, and Specialist Schnee is putting her trust in all of us."

* * *

 _No Grimm. An entire galaxy with no Grimm to worry about._

Torchwick actually had to take a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew that by doing so he was losing momentum in the discussion, the very fact that he needed to take the time to think betraying to the twin women that the revelation mattered to him, but it was a sacrifice he had to make. _Too much riding on this now._

Even Neo was looking at him a little strangely, and he knew why. She'd probably never seen the expression he was currently wearing, even as muted as it was. Hell, he hadn't even felt this way in over a decade, and that realization bothered him in itself.

 _Hope is a dangerous thing,_ he thought jadedly, giving Neo's hand a reassuring squeeze before tenting his fingers before him. "Forgive my hesitation, but you understand, right?"

"I believe so," Aria responded. "It's a bit of a change in perspective to realize how much bigger the universe is, is it not?"

Lotte laughed, snagging a cracker. "Happens every time, to be honest."

"I'm sure." Torchwick pursed his lips, leaning forward. _Okay. Cards on the table_. "I do believe we can do business. I can put you in contact with Admiral Harlaown," the name drop had the effect he was hoping for, both of the twins leaning toward him, "but it's going to take a bit of time and travel. They're undercover, and it'd be doing her a disservice to go blurting things out over the CCTS network."

"And in exchange? You did say we'd be doing _business,_ so I won't assume this is for free." Aria was quick on the uptake.

"Nothing crazy, I assure you! It's just… as Ms. Lotte said, a change in perspective. There's a whole wide universe out there, and I have to admit I'm enjoying the prospect of getting to see it." He paused, and sipped his tea. "Sooner rather than later."

The twins looked at each other. "I think we can work with that," Lotte said through a smile. "Get us to the admiral, and when we get them off planet we'll see about bringing some tourists along for the ride."

"Excellent!" Torchwick doffed his hat, letting his grin match her smile. "If you'll excuse me for just a moment, I need to make a call. While I can't say anything about you, I can do something that will tangentially help her right now. Consider it a gesture of good faith."

* * *

"Headmaster." Glynda's voice brought him out of his thoughts, and Ozpin raised his head to look at the blonde professor. "I have a gentleman on the line, he wishes to speak with you."

"Is it important, Glynda?"

"He insists that it is relevant to our interests, yes."

Ozpin sighed, leaning back from his desk. "Put it through to my personal line, please."

"Of course."

A few moments later, his scroll buzzed, declaring the call waiting. Ozpin tapped the screen, opening the call. _AUDIO ONLY_ greeted his gaze. "This is Headmaster Ozpin."

" _Headmaster. I hope the day finds you well."_ The voice was electronically masked, but he could hear faint amusement in the tones.

"It is a day like any other, Mr…"

" _Ah, ah. No names for me, Headmaster. Your system is compromised."_

Ozpin felt his blood run cold, and his grip on the scroll's frame tightened a little. "Then I ask you to dispense with the pleasantries. How may I help you?"

" _The question is how I can help you, Headmaster. I have information for you, but giving you this information will put you on a time limit to make use of it. Make certain you're ready to act."_

Ozpin glanced at Glynda. "I am always prepared to act."

" _The White Fang has a base of operations in the sealed tunnels underneath Mountain Glen. They are preparing a lightning strike against the kingdom of Vale using stolen Atlas mechanized equipment, and they will be launching this attack soon. You will need to stop them at their source, or be ready to repel a full assault by their forces."_

Ozpin didn't even waste the time to respond to him, looking up at Glynda again. "Glynda, get James and Lindy immediately."

"Already on it, Headmaster." The elevator was already closing behind her.

" _Good to hear you taking this seriously, Headmaster. Oh, and one more thing."_

Ozpin closed his eyes. "Yes?"

" _Pass along a message to Ms. Harlaown for me. I happened to chance upon a song in the woods, and she's got people from home looking for her. Good luck, Headmaster Ozpin."_ The call disconnected.

It took five minutes for the elevator doors to open back up, James and Lindy both hurrying through. "Glynda filled me in," James said immediately, "and I can send out cruisers. Blue One is undergoing resupply, but Blue Two and Three are ready for immediate deployment."

"While normally I am one to advise caution, James… I believe you have the right of it. We have a location. I leave it in your hands." Ozpin turned to Lindy. "Admiral, if there's anything you can do…"

"Mage Team Beta is only operating at seventy five percent operational capacity. I can't spare any more of them from guarding the _Arthra._ However, we still have some of Alpha for pinpoint strikes. While I am loathe to send any more of my mages outside the city, we are able and willing to assist in defending Vale itself."

"They would only be in the way at Mountain Glen, since they're not part of the Atlas chain of command," James mused. "Better to keep them here."

"I agree with your assessments." Ozpin motioned for Lindy to sit. "There was one other thing, Lindy. A message of sorts for you, from our anonymous informer…"

* * *

"I'm bringing her down!" The pilot's voice was strained, betraying the stress they were all feeling. "Hold on!"

The hurricane had made landfall before they did. Vicious waves battered Signal Academy's lower docks, and even through the howling of the storm and the shriek of the bullhead's engine, Ruby heard the splintering crack of a boat smashing against one of the piers. She gripped her restraint harness, keeping her teeth clenched like Uncle Qrow had told her to do. The bullhead rocked and heaved, and she felt her stomach lurch toward her feet when a particularly strong gust of wind threw the craft sideways. Then the bullhead _dropped,_ twenty feet in an instant, and slammed into the tarmac. Her head impacted the back of the seat, and stars filled her vision.

Ruby shook her head clear, and the roar of the storm doubled in volume when her uncle opened the cargo hatch. "All right, kids! We're up! On the ground, go!" Team RWBY threw off their harnesses in unison, leaping out of the bullhead into the driving rain.

The thick, rolling clouds overhead blocked out almost every hint of the afternoon sun, throwing Signal into a deep twilight. Her team gathered close around Uncle Qrow, barely able to hear his shouts over the storm. "Stick close and follow me! Taiyang's bunkered down with his senior students and a shitload of civilians that weren't able to get out in time, they've got Grimm pinning them down! We're cutting through-"

A flash of light and the sharp crack of thunder interrupted him, and in the distance one of Signal's lighting towers sundered; the top twenty feet fell away, split clean by the lightning bolt. Qrow waved them to follow. "-we're cutting through the Grimm to relieve the pressure, and then going wherever he needs us!"

Ruby signaled with her hands, not trusting her voice to cut through the storm. Her team spread out into their usual formation; Yang held the rear, and her uncle ran point with Blake. Fate fell into step alongside Ruby, and Arf kept close to Weiss. They pushed through the wind and rain, already soaked to the bone.

Another strong gust of wind caught Ruby's cloak, threatening to throw her off her feet. She dug Crescent Rose into the ground and held on until the worst of the wind passed. As soon as she was able, she wrapped her cloak around her torso and tucked the ends into her belt to keep it from flapping around, then dashed forward to catch back up.

Her flurry of rose petals were lost to the storm as soon as they appeared.

It took ten minutes to reach the Grimm horde. Ten minutes of rain and lightning, of dodging wind-thrown debris, and fighting off Grimm stragglers that got in their way.

Ruby hunkered down with the rest of the group behind a collapsed building, peering through the driving rain at the veritable _carpet_ of black fur and white bone between them and the student-held bunker. The roars and bellows of monstrous throats warred with the sharp _crack_ of Dust rounds, and they could see the strobing of muzzle flashes in the distant building's windows. "That's a lot of Grimm. How do we want to do this, Uncle Qrow?"

Fate reloaded Bardiche's cylinder, slapping it shut. "Wherever you need me and Arf, Qrow. You're the expert."

The grizzled huntsman scratched at his stubble, then nodded. "Fate, Lindy already told you to go ahead and take the gloves off, right?"

"...yes."

Qrow nodded, pointing. "Bomb the hell out of the back of them and soften them up for the rest of us. Weather's so bad that no one's going to be able to see what's going on anyways."

"Yes sir." Fate stood, her next words nearly lost in the storm. "Bardiche! Set up!"

" _Get Set."_

Her huntress outfit vanished in a flash, replaced by her barrier jacket, and a yellow visor phased into place over her face. Ruby felt a flash of envy when she saw that Fate's white cape was barely affected by the wind. Fate looked up at the storm clouds, then nodded in satisfaction and pointed _Bardiche_ toward the heavens. A yellow circle spread out beneath her feet, and Ruby could see tiny numbers and arrows in the HUD in front of Fate's eyes. "At least the weather makes this easy. Thunder Fall!"

The sky flashed, and lightning poured from the clouds. A half dozen bolts detonated in unison in the midst of the horde, striking with all the force of artillery shells and blowing deep craters in the ground. Immolated Grimm were thrown through the air, smoking bodies bowling over their brethren, and three more bolts caught the edges in rapid succession.

 _Bardiche's_ synthesized tones cut through the silence following the shockwaves, sounding rather pleased with himself. " _All strikes on target within eighty percent of predicted strike zones."_

Fate nodded, and swept the device back down. Bardiche collapsed back into his Remnant form. "Clear! Move in!"

Qrow expanded his scythe and charged forward, Ruby and Fate close behind. Dust-forged steel cut into Grimm flesh with abandon as they blitzed the back of the stunned horde. The senior hunter took the lead, and Ruby did her best to keep up; she _knew_ she was good with _Crescent Rose,_ but watching her uncle in action again showed her just how far she still had to go.

Incentive to improve, she knew.

Behind her, the rest of her team followed through the gap they tore; fire and ice blasted the grimm to each side as Weiss and Arf channeled raw Dust, and Blake and Yang took down any beasts hardy enough or lucky enough to survive the first strikes.

The last Grimm they came to, the one closest to the bunker, was an alpha ursa, bristling with bone spines and standing half again as tall as its peers. Fate and Ruby dashed in under its lumbering swings, mirrored strikes hamstringing its legs and bringing it down to its knees, opening it up for Qrow's scythe to take its head cleanly from its shoulders. The rest of the team surged through behind them, spinning around and adding their own attacks to the beleaguered defenders.

"Damn are you a sight for sore eyes!" Taiyang's voice cut through the screams and gunfire, her father running out from his position at the bunker's entrance to clasp forearms with Qrow and throwing a hug around Ruby and Yang. "Your timing couldn't have been better. I don't know what you led off with, but we could definitely use more of that!"

Fate hesitated for an instant, so Ruby chimed in first. "Dust charges we cooked up back at Beacon. We used 'em all at the start, sorry!"

"Just glad to see you, sweetie." He bumped fists with Yang before she ran back to support Blake. Taiyang gave Fate another look, perking an eyebrow when he saw her weapon. "You didn't tell me you took on another protege, Qrow."

"I didn't. She's self-taught. Where do you need us?"

Her father hooked a thumb back at the bunker. "I've got two dozen juniors and seniors and a hundred noncombatants holed up inside. We've got injured, but nothing too serious. Evac's cut off, the island defenders can't break away to clear a path for us."

"Seems like every Grimm on the damned island is dropping in."

"There _shouldn't_ be this many. The huntsman have been doing their regular patrols." Taiyang grit his teeth, shaking his head. "I had a few scouts out in the woods. They had to pull back, but they said most of the Grimm are coming from the cliffs."

 _The cliffs._ Ruby looked over her shoulder into the storm, the very idea of Grimm coming from _there_ feeling all too wrong. Fate caught Ruby's eye, pursing her lips and nodding a little. Ruby straightened up a little, coming to a decision. "Do you want us to check it out? We're fast enough to get through. Fate and Arf can come with us, we should be able to handle any Grimm we run into."

Qrow pursed his lips, sharing a look with her father. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, do that. I'll stay here and help organize a fighting retreat. Once you six check it out, meet us back at the Signal airdocks. And be _careful."_

"We will be, promise!" Ruby threw another hug around her father, and one around Qrow, then rushed off to gather her team. "Form up, girls! We've got a mission!"

* * *

"Hooooo boy, that's a lot of Grimm."

From the air, the ground around the squat, concrete bunker and damaged relay tower was more black and white than red. Jaune could just see a splash of brown and gold atop the concrete structure; the source of sporadic bursts of tracer fire that were barely managing to hold the tide at bay. What Grimm did get through were met by the larger, and as such slightly more visible figure of Yatsuhashi and the gigantic cleaver that was his weapon.

"JNPR. I'm opening the hatch now. Fire support from the air, thin out the back so Adel can clear a landing zone for us." Winter Schnee toggled the bullhead's doors as the pilot brought the bullhead lower.

Pyrrha and Amy leaned out the open hatch, held securely in place by cords linked to their harnesses. Dust rounds lanced down into the Grimm, short bursts from the TSAB comm officer's assault rifle punctuated by the sharper report of _Milo._ Laughing, Nora joined them, launching a fusilade of grenades into the black swarm.

Jaune's scroll buzzed, and Coco's harried voice came over the speaker. "Need you guys down here sooner than now! I'm almost out of ammo!"

"Gotcha covered, Coco! Pilot, take us for a close pass!" Amy slung her rifle, grabbing the rucksack she'd procured from Beacon's armory.

The bullhead dipped into a diving run, picking up speed as it closed in on the bunker. Amy yelled "CATCH!" and threw the rucksack down to CFVY's leader, and the bullhead screamed by.

Detonations of pink smoke covered the gunner as she tore the sack open. Coco crowed in relieved glee, and slammed a new drum home into her minigun. "CSAL, you are _lifesavers!_ Drinks are on me when we get out of this mess!" A renewed storm of tracers flew out toward the Grimm mass, no longer constrained to ammo-conserving bursts.

"Aw, fart!" Nora yelled a complaint, racking a new set of grenades into _Magnhild._ "There are alphas down there, they're too smart to get caught in my booms!"

Jaune looked at Chrono, and the TSAB captain grimaced. "Out of range for my shotgun, and I don't think they'd really notice even if I was close enough."

Pyrrha slung _Milo,_ raising a hand. The air in front of _Magnhild's_ barrel took on a black hue. "I've got you, Nora. Aim straight."

The next grenade that fired from Nora's weapon passed through Pyrrha's semblance and _accelerated,_ leaping forward like a bullet shot from a rifle, and embedded itself in the bony chestplate of an alpha ursa. The beast stumbled back a step and looked down; then the round detonated and scattered its bones and and spines in every direction. Nora whooped with glee and launched another, to the same effect as the first.

Jaune couldn't help but grin at Ren. "Gonna have to come up with a name for that one."

"As long as it's better than Flower Power," Ren deadpanned. "I'm glad you ran that one by us in training first."

"Geez, I said I was sorry."

Winter cut in, her voice sharp. "Don't relax yet, JNPR. The fight's just started. Make ready to disembark." The bullhead came around again and slowed, jetwash kicking up billowing clouds of red grit as it came to a hover over the bunker. JNPR jumped out in pairs, followed by Chrono and Amy, and then Winter.

The bullhead started to lift back into the air behind them, then suddenly reversed thrust and planted hard into the ground. The pilot cursed, yelling over the loudspeaker. "We've got nevermores inbound, they'll eat me alive if I take 'er back up!"

The first volley of black feathers impacted impotently against Winter's layered glyphs. The spinning white symbols flashed black, and the feathers rocketed back the way they came and elicited a cacophony of raucous caws when they pierced feathered hides. "Valkyrie!" Winter ordered, "Put some flak in the air!"

Nora swapped her payload and started launching shells into the sky, the grenades detonating in garish bursts of pink smoke and shrapnel. The nevermores banked to evade, but several were too slow and spiraled toward the ground after the bursts tore holes in their wings.

Coco stepped forward to join them, still sluicing bullets at the thinned out pack in front. "We've got wounded inside! Fox took a bad hit, and some of the techs are in bad shape!"

"Ren!" Jaune pointed toward the bunker, and the black-haired martial artists hefted their medical kit and dashed inside. Amy ran to join him, pausing only long enough to spin and shove her weapon and ammo into Jaune's hands.

He blinked, gaping down at the assault rifle. Chrono spared him a glance. "You know how to use that, Arc?"

With careful movements, Jaune checked the magazine, then slid it back into place and racked the slide. "Theory classes at Beacon, and a few times at the range. Don't point it at something unless you're planning on pulling the trigger. I'll be slow, but," he spared a glance at the renewed waves of Grimm, "it's not like I can _miss,_ right?"

"Good enough. I've got your close range covered." Chrono took a knee next to him, and the deeper _boom_ of his shotgun drowned out the sharp report of Amy's- now Jaune's- rifle.

"How long are we holding? We came loaded for ursa, but ammo's only going to last so long!" Jaune dropped his empty clip, fumbling a bit to slam a new one home.

"Ren and Amy need to get the wounded ready for transport. As soon as they're loaded on the bullhead and the sky's clear, we're out of here."

Jaune's reply was interrupted by the ground shaking under their feet, and he heard the _riproar_ of Coco's chaingun cut off abruptly. He stumbled and dropped to one knee, and when he raised his head he caught sight of _gigantic_ black shapes stampeding out of the kicked up dust. "You've got to be kidding me!" He turned and shouted, as loud as he could. "WE'VE GOT GOLIATHS INCOMING!"

Chrono swore, taking a step back. _S2U_ flashed in his hand, reverting to its staff form in a flare of blue light. "Specialist! I'm going loud!"

Yatsuhashi and Coco blinked owlishly in askance. Winter looked over sharply. "Are you sure? We've got a lot of uninformed eyes here!"

"Can you think of a better option? The secret won't be holding much longer regardless, and we need artillery to bring them down!" Chrono planted his feet. "S2U, set up!"

* * *

Vale's commercial district was something of a misnomer. A city the size of one of the four kingdoms covered hundreds of square miles of territory, millions of inhabitants living in the sprawling urban complex that was a safe area from the Grimm. In a city that big, it was flat out impossible to constrain all of the industry to one single zone, and the same held true for commercial businesses and residential areas. It was more accurate to describe Vale proper as a number of smaller cities without borders, the edges of one area meshing with the neighboring ones.

That being said, there were a few places within the city that were well known to be _the_ place to go. Anyone who was anyone stopped by when they could, because it was something of a status symbol to be able to say you bought furniture from _this_ store, because you stocked your pantry with goods from _that_ grocery.

So when people spoke of Vale's commercial district, they meant _the_ commercial district. When the street _exploded,_ sending chunks of concrete and asphalt flying for hundreds of yards, it happened in the heart of Vale's thriving central community.

The carnage was nothing that belonged in a sane world. Closest to the detonation, hardly anything was even recognizable. Buildings were pulverized into rubble by the Dust-fueled blast, and even a half mile away glass storefronts shattered from the shockwave. Bodies littered the streets, the wounded too stunned and shocked to even try to crawl away.

From the breach, mechanized hell poured forth. Atlesian Paladins stormed out of the revealed tunnel, weapon muzzles blazing hot death as they formed up and charged away from the center of the calamity. Behind them came the foot soldiers of the White Fang, screaming wordless warcries. They shot at anything they could, left bombs behind to worsen the damage, and above all else, they ran with _purpose,_ away from the entry point.

Vale's police forces were hopelessly outmatched, unable to stand up to the military grade weapons being brought to bear against them. Still they fought, trying to stem the tide of faunus militants, selling their lives dearly to give the civilians caught in the path time to escape. Frantic calls for backup filled the CCTS network, and with confused effort the city's defenders woke to the catastrophe in their midst.

Vale PD special tactics units responded as quickly as they could, and while still outclassed, the arrival of Aura-capable fighters in armored transport vehicles started to make a difference, struggling to dig in against the White Fang's assault. They started to make headway, and their numbers started to tell.

Then the Grimm started rampaging forth from the breach, and Vale's forces found themselves fighting on two fronts.

* * *

"Dammit!" James issued orders through his scroll with as much calm as he could muster. At Beacon's airdock, Blue One lifted from the ground and swung its nose toward the rising smoke in the center of Vale. "They used the train tunnels, Oz! They had to have launched the train before I even sent out the cruisers, our forces passed them like ships in the night!"

"I'm receiving reports of Grimm coming out of the tunnel, James. Glynda is assembling student teams to help fight them back, but it's going to take time for them to get their equipment and arrive. What do we have available?"

"Blue One's on the way. She's fully stocked, but I can't rightly order them to use the broadsides on civilian districts. There's one company of ground infantry aboard, mostly AK-200s and the soldiers to command them." James rubbed his face, looking out the window at the distant fighting.

Lindy rose to her feet. "I'll send the _Wolkenritter,_ with orders to break the masquerade if necessary."

James turned toward her, pursing his lips. "You really think they'll be enough?"

"I would love to say yes, General. In times past, the _Wolkenritter_ at full hue and cry were enough to scare the TSAB, even with all the power of our dimensional cruisers and mage soldiers. The four of them are capable of fighting armies, if allowed to do so."

"Splitting our forces even more," Ozpin intoned. "That leaves us very little room for comfort, Lindy."

"I know. With just myself, Nanoha, Yuuno, and Hayate, we can't hold the Fall Maiden's power for longer than a few more hours." Lindy grimaced. "I would like to move the Maiden's core to the _Arthra._ My engineers think that the drive core's housing may be capable of holding it, even if it is no longer operable for powering the ship itself. At that point, Beta will be on hand to guard it as well."

James and Ozpin exchanged a glance, then nodded. "Do it," the Headmaster said.

* * *

It was _moving._

Cinder could feel the other half of her power calling out for her still, and had been about to leave to make her second and last attempt on claiming it while the distraction in Vale was at its strongest. But now it was _moving,_ and she could feel it rising through the ground underneath Beacon.

 _They're taking it somewhere they think is safe._ Ozpin, the shrewd old man that he was, wouldn't risk moving the Fall Mantle further unless he was convinced that it _would_ be safer somewhere else. _This is my chance, before it reaches its destination._

She'd already quit the infirmary hours before, and when Beacon's loudspeakers blared what was for all intents and purposes an _all points bulletin_ for the students to assist in the defense of Vale, she'd joined the thronging mass of students equipping themselves at the academy's armories. It was easy to lose herself in the confusion, and while the rest of Beacon's students were boarding bullheads to take them into Vale, she stole off on her own with her legally acquired gear.

Now, some short distance from Beacon and watching from the roof of one of Torchwick's safehouses, she watched with narrowed eyes, attention fixed on the one thing she could _feel_ but couldn't yet see.

* * *

Team RWBY pushed through the weather-torn forest of Patch, fighting the storm as much as the Grimm that got in their way. Falling trees threatened to crush them into the muddy ground, and the rain pelted them with the force of riot bullets, hammering at their Auras with abandon.

Ruby held up a hand, slowing her team's near-breakneck run through the forest. They were coming up on the cliffs now, she knew, and it wouldn't do for those unfamiliar with the land, meaning Blake, Weiss, Fate, or Arf, to run headlong out and stumble over the edge.

More slowly, they pushed through the last lines of trees into the open. Ruby's memory had led her unerringly through the forest despite the terrible visibility, despite some of the landmarks themselves having been torn away by the howling wind. The ground jutted out against the ocean, huge waves crashing in vain against the tall stone cliff. The grass clung tenaciously to the dirt, denying even this storm's ferocity. At the edge of the cliff was the grave marker, grey marble laying low and immobile against the ground.

Ruby felt something in her heart relax, to see that the gravesite was still there. She and the others stepped out into the open, and for the moment it felt like even the wind calmed around them. "You guys see anything?"

"Nothing. Whatever's calling the Grimm, we didn't find it." Yang stepped up next to her, smoothing back rain-slicked tresses and glancing to the sides.

"Arf? Fate?"

The TSAB agents moved forward as well, and Arf's ears went back. "Something doesn't feel right. I can _smell_ it, even through the rain." Fate frowned, looking like she smelled something rotting.

"Smell it?" Blake padded forward, tilting her head up. "...you know, I do too, now. It smells like… dead fish."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other, stepping closer to the edge of the cliff. Weiss stayed back, her hand tight around _Myrtenaster's_ grip.

The two of them peered over the edge of the cliff at the ocean below.

Water _rushed_ to meet them. Ruby grabbed Yang and threw herself back, the torrent of inky salt water cutting through the cloud of rose petals left in her wake. She felt her Aura falter just from the edges of the spray catching her feet.

A base roar shook the cliff, making the trees bow opposite the driving wind. A massive tentacle surged into the air, followed by another, and a third; more joined them. The slimy flesh was pitch black, studded with white bone.

Team RWBY scrambled back, narrowly avoiding the first tentacle slamming into the cliff. It tore away a swath of dirt and stone wider than Ruby was tall, dragging the chunk of land away into the depths.

Weiss was screaming, grabbing Ruby's arm and pulling her toward the woods. Blake was already in the trees, Yang and Fate joining her in her headlong run. Arf grabbed Ruby's other arm and helped the heiress drag her back. "What the hell is that?!"

"It-" Weiss cut off when another tentacle punished the ground just before them, missing them by scant feet. "It's a _kraken!_ I thought they were just myths!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Arf screeched out, and an orange barrier deflected the next tentacle, barely giving them time to retreat further before shattering. "Someone released the _kraken?!"_

Fate spared Arf a groan of disappointment, brandishing _Bardiche._ "Enough with the jokes, Arf. This is serious!"

"So am I!"

"What are you two talking about?!" Weiss screamed at them, her voice high and shrill with naked fear. " _Run!"_

Another tentacle snapped through the air, and a volley of bone spikes tore through the trees, pulverizing trees into splinters and burying their yards-long lengths into the soggy loam, surrounding them on all sides. Then the spikes started to unfold, chitinous claws and legs waving in the air and slavering jaws letting loose bloodthirsty snarls.

The new Grimm looked like a horrid cross between beowolves and crustaceans, with the torsos and heads of wolves, but the bone-armored tail and legs of lobsters. Slick white scales replaced black fur, and in place of clawed arms they had massive bone pincers that snapped and clacked as the things ringed them in. Ruby gripped _Crescent Rose,_ slipping a magazine of close-range Dust charges into the receiver. "Makara! It threw makara at us!"

"Well now we know where they come from, right?" Yang slammed her gauntlets together, steam exploding away as her semblance flash-dried her clothes and hair. "We can tell Professor Port all about it when we get back!" She charged forward, taking the fight to the lobster-wolves. _Ember Celica_ bellowed Dust blasts, cracking white shell with every punch.

" _If_ we get back!" Blake joined her, playing the dangerous game of keep-away to distract them while Yang worked. "It's launching more!"

"I'm trying to stay positive, Blakey!"

The makara had them boxed in on all sides. Fate emptied _Bardiche's_ chamber, putting two of the beasts on the ground, then ducked back into the center of their defensive formation. "I'm dropping Aura, keep me covered!"

Arf threw out her hands, forming a dome of orange light around them all. The makara slammed into the magical shell, punishing it with heavy blows. Cracks started to form in the barrier, but Arf set her teeth and weathered through it.

" _Get set."_

Her device's voice was as stuffy as ever, and Fate's barrier jacket phased into place once more. She lifted off the ground just as Arf's barrier failed, and dozens of yellow circles formed around her. "Bardiche! Plasma Lancer!"

" _Plasma Lancer; Phalanx Shift."_

Ruby found her team in the eye of a storm of yellow fire, arrow-like bolts of energy. Soil and detritus detonated into the air along with shards of white chitin, and the few Grimm that survived the assault wasted long moments picking themselves up out of the smoking mud. Fate shot into the sky, a hundred feet into the air. "Arf! Bind the kraken and hold it!"

Arf surged forward, an orange spell circle forming around her as she ran right to the edge of the cliff. Tentacles reared back to slam down on her, and were met by glowing chains of light. The familiar howled, and the binding chains springing forth from her circle multiplied, the ends disappearing down into the surf.

Putting down the last of the makara, Ruby and her team cautiously edged forward. Arf's chains pulled taut, singing with tension, and before their eyes the body of the kraken was pulled to the surface. The creature was gigantic, a mass of writhing tentacles surrounding a bone-armored body hundreds of feet long. It rolled in the water, a row of red eyes bigger than Ruby glowing with malevolent hatred.

Above them, Fate centered herself on a glowing yellow rune circle, _Bardiche_ outstretched toward the clouds. Her voice could be heard even over the kraken's screams and the storm's howling winds, crackling with energy. "Arcus cultus aegeas!"

Her device glowed with barely restrained power, streamers of yellow light wrapped around the weapon's axe-like head. "Plasma Smasher!"

The rain stopped, hot wind blazing across the ground. Lightning split the sky, silencing all with its fury. Fate was silhouetted by the bolt, a black shadow backlit by blinding white.

Arf screamed soundlessly in pain.

Fate fell. Her cloak tore away, disappearing into scintillating scraps of effervescing magic. She slammed into the ground in front of the grave, silently. Smoke rose from her unmoving form.

"Fate!" Ruby couldn't even hear her own voice, deafened by the thunderous boom from the lightning bolt. She ran forward, trying to reach the mage.

Something hit her in the back like a cannonball, sending her bouncing across the ground. _Crescent Rose_ flew from her hands, the blade sinking into the mud. She scrabbled at the muddy grass, and her desperate fingers dug furrows into the dirt, arresting her momentum just as her legs went over the edge of the cliff. Lingering flames licked at her cloak, scorching her back.

She shook her head clear, trying to pull herself back up. At the treeline, she could see Weiss' glyphs warding off blasts and whip-like tendrils of fire. Yang crouched over Blake's slumped body, shielding her bodily from the bursts that Weiss wasn't able to stop.

A boot slammed down on her left hand, driving it into the dirt. Ruby bit back a cry and raised her head, and the face that met her gaze glared down at her with eyes that burned.

* * *

"Blaze Cannon!"

The beam of blue light flashed overhead, blotting out the sun with its intensity, and bored into the skull-mask of a charging goliath. The giant Grimm stumbled and fell to its knees, raising its head and roaring in defiance against the punishing light. Empty defiance in the end, as a moment later its mask shattered into shards, and the beam bored through it from end to end to burn into the ground beyond. The goliath fell into a gout of black mist, vanishing in moments.

Jaune hadn't before seen one of the TSAB mages going all out, and the sheer power Chrono was throwing around left him awestruck. Not uselessly so, at least. He kept the presence of mind to keep laying fire into the smaller Grimm with Amy's rifle, even upping the ante with a few grenades they'd taken from Beacon's armory. Beside him, though, Coco's grip on her minigun was slack, and she was watching the lightshow with open-mouthed amazement.

Jaune spared a moment while he was reloading to elbow her in the side, making her snap her jaw shut and glare at him. "Stare later, Coco! We're not out of this yet!"

The fashionista grumbled, slapping a new drum into her minigun. "Yeah, yeah. You guys owe us some _answers,_ though!"

As if in response to her complaint, Chrono whirled in the air, and a storm of blue knife-like energy blades hailed down on the Grimm swarm, pinning beowolves and boarbatusks to the red dirt for her renewed storm of fire to sweep through. Jaune shook his head, looking over his shoulder at the bunker. "You'll get some, I'm sure!"

Velvet and Amy were hurrying in and out of the bunker, escorting and even carrying the wounded to the bullhead. Fox was on his feet as well, but the bandages swathing his torso showed that CFVY's close-range skirmisher was by no means fit for fighting. Still, the blind student gamely helped an injured technician climb into the transport. Pyrrha and Nora were running interference, putting a quick end to any Grimm quick or cagey enough to make it too close.

"These are the last ones," Amy shouted, waving to them. "Chrono says the sky's clear, get back so we can lift off!"

Jaune and Coco started backing toward the craft, still firing at the Grimm rushing toward them. The assault rifle clicked empty, and Jaune found himself dry. He cursed, slinging the weapon and drawing _Crocea Mors._ Its shield snapped into place on his arm. "Out of ammo, Coco!"

"It's fine! Keep backing up!" Their feet made contact with the concrete around the bunker. Chrono flew in low over them, and another storm of energy knives rained down, giving them the cover they needed to break and run.

Coco made it to the bullhead first, taking Winter's helping hand and pulling herself onboard. Jaune paused to take one last look around the battlefield. The Grimm were trying to surge forward, but Chrono's spell blades were keeping them back.

Red caught his eye, and he turned. A _wall_ of rusty dust was blowing in from the distance, and almost before he could shout it swept over the bullhead. Sandy grit scoured his face, and he threw up a hand to cover his eyes.

The bullhead's thrusters whined in complaint, and then the port engine detonated, sending the hovering craft listing to the side. It slammed into Jaune, and he had a horrifying moment to contemplate being crushed underneath the tilt-jet's bulk before the concrete fell away and he dropped down to the red dirt a yard below. The bullhead rolled just over him, missing his head by scant inches.

The transport crashed back down, the nose and side burying into the dirt. The sandstorm blew around him still, reducing visibility to bare yards. Jaune rolled back to his feet, feeling the wind-blown grit scouring into his Aura, and stumbled to the visible hatch. "Is everyone okay?!"

The wind shifted, becoming a mourning wail, and the sand _vanished,_ funneling upward into a twisting, churning tornado. At the tip of the funnel, where it ended right before touching the ground, he could see a tall, willowy woman walking toward them, her eyes glowing green.

" _Is_ everyone okay?" she asked, her airy voice somehow audible over the wind. "I would be so disappointed if my work can't be _appreciated."_

* * *

 _There it is._

She'd waited for nearly half an hour as bullhead after bullhead lifted off from Beacon's airdock, every single one turning unerringly toward the increasingly war torn central districts of Vale. The entire time, the other half of the Fall Mantle had moved slowly across campus, at what she could only assume to be a walking pace. Now, though, she could feel it rising into the air, and her eyes stayed fixed on its position.

Another bullhead came into view, swinging around from the opposite side of Beacon Academy that the rest had launched from. It leveled out, flying low and fast, aiming for the distant Vale airship yards.

Cinder couldn't help but smile behind her mask. It was going to pass right by her, within a hundred yards of her rooftop position.

 _Don't mess this up. Nice and easy._ She reached down to the hardcase at her feet, popping the latches and flipping the cover open. The weapon inside was a yard long, but despite the bulbous, yet angular head and tubelike body, lifted easily to her shoulder. She swung it around for a moment to get used to the weight, then shouldered it and sighted the approaching bullhead in the crosshairs.

The SDC-produced Atlesian Arms Multipurpose DPG Launcher carried a high yield Burn Dust crystal warhead, with a sophisticated laser-guided tracking system and an effective range of half a mile. The system was advertised as being simple to use and deploy, boasting an easy to manage 'point and fire' interface and 'ninety nine percent accuracy guaranteed', amongst other claims that the Schnee Dust Company used to elevate it above its competitors.

Cinder's smile only widened as the bullhead grew larger in the sights, and her first press of the trigger painted the side of the tilt-jet with an infrared laser dot. Cinder waited until the count of three, making sure the bullhead wasn't about to suddenly respond, and then with a sigh of satisfaction pulled the trigger again.

The guided rocket leaped out of the barrel with a _whoosh,_ leaving a smoking contrail behind as it chased the aircraft. The bullhead jerked sharply and dove, but there wasn't nearly enough room to evade. Cinder kept the laser dot on target, and a half second later the rocket slammed into the bullhead's side and detonated.

The blast threw the bullhead into a death spiral, shearing the starboard wing clean off the frame. Cinder dropped the spent launcher, running forward and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, pulling from her semblance and manifesting her bow in hand.

She crested the last rooftop, looking down at the street below and the wrecked tilt-jet that had cratered into the pavement. The body of the craft had, for the most part, survived the landing, but the tail and other wing were crumpled from the impact. Through the shattered canopy glass, she could see the unmoving form of the deputy headmistress herself, sprawled across the controls. The Fall Mantle, however, remained hidden inside the craft, which meant that the Fall Maiden must have survived the landing. Cinder called forth an arrow and nocked it, waiting.

For a long moment, there was nothing. Then the starboard cargo doors blasted off the side of the craft as if propelled by explosives, backlit by a flash of pink light. An arm came into view, white cloth with a blue metallic bracer shrouding the wrist, and grabbed the edge of the gap.

It was one of the refugee girls. _Nanoha Takamachi,_ Cinder remembered. She hauled herself out of the bullhead with one arm, the other gripping an ornate white staff with a golden metallic head. She struggled upright, almost slipping on the curved hull of the bullhead, sweeping her gaze around. She called out something Cinder couldn't understand, and immediately after Hayate Yagami jumped out to land next to her, greatsword held in both hands.

 _What are_ they _doing here?_

Hayate crouched down, resting her weapon on the bullhead's side to reach into the bullhead's depths. Another hand clasped hers, and she pulled Yuuno Scrya into view.

Cinder's gut clenched reflexively. Hovering above the male student's other hand was a seething mass of orange light, wrapped in green lines of energy. It called to her, reached for her, _begging_ for her to release it.

She loosed the arrow. It flew true, aimed right for the young man's wrist.

Takamachi's staff flashed, a computerized female voice calling out a warning. A disk of pink light lined with glowing runes appeared in the way, and her arrow impacted against it and detonated. Cinder's eyes widened. Her thoughts flashed back to the brief fight underneath the CCTS tower, and the guardians that had stymied her attempt at reclaiming her power.

The colors had been different, but the effect was the same. A glowing shield of power, almost like a Schnee's glyphs. _She's one of them!_

It didn't matter; it _couldn't_ matter. This was her last chance. She had them isolated, minutes away from any sort of reinforcements. They were clearly injured by the crash, clothing torn and bloodied from small cuts that got through their Auras. Cinder phased another trio of arrows into existence, launching them all and leaping down after.

Takamachi shouted a warning, even as her glyph-like defenses manifested again. Scrya ducked behind her, and Hayate spun to meet her head on. The tiny brunette charged toward her before Cinder's feet even made contact with the street, bringing her greatsword down in a vicious overhead slash.

Cinder split her bow, catching the attack against her blades. The force of the impact surprised her, and the pavement cracked under her feet from the strength of the blow. She grunted at the effort, trapping the blade between hers and bringing her foot around in a kick that caught Hayate square in the ribs, blasting the breath from her lungs and sending her skidding across the ground.

She heard Takamachi shout something else, and spun just in time to find herself awash in punishing pink light. The blast scoured at her Aura, making her feet scrape against the street as it pushed her back.

Cinder slammed her blades into the street, and a wall of obsidian erupted from the ground to block the blast. She dove to the side just in time; the glass barrier shattered after a scant second, the pink ray blasting past to bore a hole clean through the building behind her.

To her side, Hayate was regaining her feet, shaking her head clear. Cinder called forth a barrage of glass spears, releasing them in trios at the white-garbed defender. The glowing barrier blocked them again, spreading wide to cover her and Scyra from the wide-angle bombardment.

Hayate's greatsword came at her again, and Cinder ducked low underneath the cut. Her own blades scored on the petite girl's body in a trio of slashes, but Hayate's Aura held strong. Takamachi called out something else, words unintelligible, and Hayate ducked back, trying to disengage. Cinder chased after her, keeping close and punishing Hayate with strike after strike.

The gamble paid off; risking a glance toward the bullhead, Cinder could see Takamachi's staff glowing with restrained power, but the girl didn't dare to release it with Hayate so close. Cinder sent another volley of obsidian toward her, and under the blinding distraction of their explosions, sent three more spears shooting far overhead.

Splitting her attention for a moment cost her. Hayate set her feet and swung again, and Cinder wasn't able to get both of her swords in the way in time. Her left blade shattered from the impact, and Hayate's weapon crashed into her shoulder, shattering her Aura and driving her to the asphalt.

Cinder rolled away, putting a glass wall between her and the little brunette. Coming to her feet, she saw Nanoha's staff aimed right at her, runed circles extending from the golden head. The glow of pink light in the center built sharply, searing her eyes.

She raised her arm to launch one last desperate barrage, and her other hand grasped at the sky and pulled down sharply.

Pink light enveloped her, heedless of her paltry defenses. She grit her teeth against the pain, feeling the energy bore into her skin. The beam cut off to the sound of that synthesized voice, Takamachi forced to shield herself from the last-ditch attack.

She panted for breath, locking eyes with Takamachi through that spinning barrier of light. It stretched for yards to both sides, impenetrable. Her final volley had done nothing.

The three spears came down from high above, beyond the upper lip of the shield. They slammed down behind her, releasing their fury in fire and shrapnel, shredding through both her and Scrya's clothing.

They went down hard, thrown from the bullhead by the explosions. The bands of green light around the orange ball of power shattered, and it tore through the air like a bullet to her.

Hayate screamed something, reaching helplessly toward her. Despite her words being in a language Cinder had never heard, she knew exactly what the girl was saying. It was denial, useless in the face of something far greater.

 _No, dear Hayate. I will not be denied what is mine._

Years of planning paid off in that moment. The power flooding into her washed away untold months of waiting, countless hours of stressful management, time after time wasted in dealing with people little better than animals. The power joined with her own, revitalizing her, igniting the smoldering coals in her belly into a raging blaze of warmth but at the same time finally satisfying the hunger she had carried for a year and more. The smile that spread across her lips was beatific, even as fire burned away the mask she wore.

Hayate lowered an empty hand, her blue eyes going cold. "Cinder Fall. It _was_ you, all along. You played us for fools."

The heat erupted from Cinder's eyes, and her smile became a smug grin. "And you were fools to let yourselves be played. It was nothing personal, Hayate; you picked a side, and you lost."

* * *

The rain hadn't stopped as much as it _couldn't fall_ anymore, droplets evaporating into nothing before they even hit the steaming earth. The mud was drying and cracking, becoming hot enough that Ruby could feel it through the thick soles of her boots every time they touched the ground.

She threw herself to her side, the rose petals left in her wake shredded by the glowing white claws sprouting from the woman's hands. She wasn't tall; shorter than Yang but stocky with muscle, grizzled black hair shot through with streaks of white. She snarled, baring too-sharp teeth. "You can't run forever, little huntress!"

"Just watch me!" Ruby dove again, wincing when the woman's claws caught the edges of her cloak. They tore right through as if the fabric wasn't even there, leaving five parallel slashes through the crimson fabric.

The woman laughed, a growling, angry sound. "Run away then, little girl, and leave your friends behind! Maybe I'll start with the traitor bitch first!"

The claim sent a chill through Ruby, and she spun to face her attacker but keeping her distance. _Crescent Rose_ was still buried blade first in the dirt, a dozen yards away. Further away, at the treeline, the rest of her team was caught in a fight with what looked like living fire; Weiss was shielding Blake's body with icy glyphs, and Yang struggled to catch a tall, _slimy_ looking woman who trailed flames from her hands and feet.

At the cliff edge, Arf was trapped by her own binding spell; the familiar was still struggling to keep the kraken from breaking free, taking almost all of her power and attention. She was screaming Fate's name, reaching out toward the mage. Fate's body was crumpled in front of the grave marker, smoke still rising from burned cloth.

Ruby grit her teeth, and juked left before diving right. The white claws still caught her clothing, cutting her cloak free from her left shoulder, but she barely got clear. In a flash, _Crescent Rose_ was in her hands, and she spun the scythe in an arc to ward off a follow up strike.

The woman only laughed again, grating and abrasive. "You've got a spine after all, do you? I'll enjoy _ripping it out."_

Ruby didn't let her advance, charging forward herself. _Crescent Rose_ barked, adding to her momentum, and the scythe tore gaping swaths in the soil. The fury of her assault put her assailant on the defensive, forcing her to leap and dodge.

She didn't stop laughing, though, even when Ruby's scythe caught her in the thigh and skated across her Aura. She didn't even budge, Ruby's inertia stopped cold.

Slashing claws scored across her belly, parting cloth and skin and leaving deep rips in her skin. Ruby screeched in unaccustomed pain, jumping back and pressing a hand to the wound. Her own blood covered her trembling hand when she raised it to her eyes. _Wh-what the hell?_

Grim amusement filled her ears, and she snapped her eyes back to the approaching woman. "You've bitten off more than you can chew, wannabe. My Semblance is called _Rend._ I can cut through anything with my claws, be it skin, bone, armor, or Aura."

"W-who _are_ you?!" Ruby screamed the words out, wrapping her hand around _Crescent Rose_ again.

"Who am _I?_ The woman who is going to kill you, girl." She flicked her claws, splattering drops of crimson across the baking ground. "But if it will comfort you in your final moments to know, _fine."_

The woman raised her hand. "I am Briar Breeze, the Maiden of Summer." A ball of pure fire flew from her palm, faster than thought.

It caught Ruby full in its fury and set the ends of her cloak ablaze. Ruby yelped again, but kept the presence of mind to bring _Crescent Rose_ around again when Briar closed in. The tip of the blade caught the light and flashed orange as it plunged toward Briar's neck.

Briar caught it in both hands, her Aura claws scraping sparks from the silver metal. Ruby pulled the trigger, a Dust charge driving the blade further.

Briar snarled and clenched her fists, and _Crescent Rose's_ silvery blade shattered. Ruby was left holding the weapon's pole, mouth agape.

A hand grabbed her by her throat, and a fist crashed into her face. She could hear Yang screaming behind her. Ruby scrabbled at Briar's wrist, trying to break free and earning a flurry of punches to her wounded gut for her troubles.

She felt her Aura break, and the next punch to her face broke her nose. Briar tossed her aside to the searing soil, and brandished her claws again. "Useless, like all of Ozpin's fools. I could kill you now, but I like the idea of letting you watch your friends die."

A wall of fire erupted between her and her team, a blazing roar that drowned out her screams of warning. Briar broke into a run, and Yang was an inferno that rushed to meet her.

Gouts of bright yellow flame washed out everything, and even over the furnace bellow of the firewall she could hear Yang's first shout of real pain.

Ruby looked around wildly, ignoring the blood flowing from her nose. _Crescent Rose_ lay broken and shattered at her feet, and Arf _couldn't_ break away from the kraken less it launch more Grimm and overrun them all. Her eyes fell on Fate, and she staggered to her feet and lurched toward the fallen enforcer.

The mage was in bad shape, the damage from the power of that lightning bolt obvious in her burned form. Ruby fell to her knees, hovering hands not daring to touch her. Her tears were hot against her cheeks. "Fate! Fate, you've got to wake up! Fate!"

Yellow and black caught her attention, and she looked down on _Bardiche's_ damaged frame. Cracks ran through the axe head, even into the yellow gem at the center.

But, it was still whole. Ruby snatched the device up in frantic hands. "Bardiche!"

The gemstone flashed once. " _Unauthorized access attempt detected. Locking down."_

"Bardiche, no! Please! Don't- don't shut down!" Ruby babbled, gripping the device's silver shaft. "We need Fate's help! We need your help! Help me wake her up!"

There was no response. Behind her, Yang shouted again, and Ruby could feel the shockwave of her semblance.

She screamed, all of her fear coming out into her cry. "PLEASE!"

 _Bardiche's_ gem flashed again, glowing brightly for a full second. " _Guest user access granted. Magilink interface online at thirty seven percent."_

It was like a muscle she'd been clenching for years relaxed, and then a sudden weight and pain made her shoulders slump. Ruby gasped sharply as something _foreign_ dove into her soul, meshing with her innermost self. Power surged forth from deep within, and _Bardiche's_ gem crackled with red lightning.

" _Get set."_

* * *

 _All good things must come to an end,_ Briar thought with mirth. The blonde had been _fun_ while she lasted, her semblance empowering her more and more as the injuries added up. But she fell in the end, as they all did, and now Briar strode toward the _Heiress_ herself, dragging the blonde brawler by what was left of her hair. "Holika, are you fucking done yet?"

The salamander faunus rolled her eyes, lashing at the white-haired girl's glyphs again with another snaking tendril of flame. "She's a _Schnee,_ Briar. They're always a pain in the ass."

A hand weakly gripped her wrist, and Briar pivoted to slam her boot into the blonde's side. "You've got fire, stupid girl. I'll give you that." She hefted the student and _threw_ her at the Schnee's glyph, shattering it with the impact and bowling the smaller girl over.

The heiress struggled back to her feet, brandishing her rapier. "D-don't come any closer!"

"Oh, that's _rich._ Fitting, coming from you of all people." Briar strode forward, brandishing her claws; the power of Summer was too good to waste on the ice princess. _Besides, I_ want _to see her face up close._ "Normally I'd kill the alley-cat traitor first, but you just stepped to the front of the line, Schnee."

The Schnee girl threw another glyph up in her way, but Briar just plunged her claws into it and ripped it to shreds. "Your semblance won't save you! But please, keep fighting! Make it amusing!" She summoned up another ball of fire and threw it at the heiress.

A voice rang out, electronic tones somehow reminding Briar of a Schnee butler she'd gutted years ago. " _Defenser Plus."_ Her fireball detonated on a dome of red energy that had appeared around the three girls.

A thundercrack made her stumble, a sonic boom louder than lightning. The black-and-red-haired little girl was in front of her suddenly, clutching a black halberd in her hands and determination wrought clear on her face. "Get away from them, you- you evil bitch!"

Briar narrowed her eyes. The girl's clothes were _different._ Every cut and rip in the fabric from Briar's claws had disappeared, the cloth pristine. Faulds of silver metal girded her waist and hips, matching gauntlets and boots encasing her hands and feet. Hidden behind a yellow-tinged visor, though, her face was still streaked with crimson, clotting blood still dripping from her broken nose.

Briar snorted and spit on the ground, the gobbet of phlegm bubbling and hissing. "Persistent. Your new toy won't change anything."

The girl set her stance, and crimson lightning arced from her hands down the halberd's shaft. The _weapon itself_ spoke, " _Haken Form."_

The axe head popped up, and a scythe blade of crackling red energy snapped into being, seething with power. Despite her confidence, Briar found herself taking one step back. "...Holika," she said to her companion. "Go free our pet. I'll deal with this."

The girl was suddenly upon her, swinging the blade faster than even Dust cartridges should have allowed. The blade hissed as it slashed through her, energy scattering across Briar's Aura and forcing her back even further. Briar snarled, lunging forward to cut the girl down _again._

" _Sonic Move."_ The girl was gone in a red flash, suddenly a dozen yards away and hovering above the treetops themselves. She drew back her weapon and swung, and the weapon voiced forth again. " _Haken Saber."_

The blade itself shot forth as if thrown, and Briar dove to the side. The red crescent of energy bit into the earth.

" _Saber Blast."_

The energy blade detonated, throwing Briar across the ground. She growled in annoyance, coming to her feet-

" _Assault Form."_

-to see that the girl's weapon had snapped back into the axe-like shape. Crackling lightning arced from the girl to the weapon again, and even from that distance Briar could see her teeth gritted in pain. "Bardiche!" The girl shouted. "P-plasma Lancer!"

" _Mana incompatibility. Recalculating; Photon Blossom."_

"Good enough! Photon Blossom!" She swung the halberd down to point at Briar, a circle of red runes appearing.

" _Fire."_

A burst of red energy discs issued forth from the runes, cutting into Briar and the dirt around her. Another burst followed, tearing further into her Aura.

Briar snarled out her rage, and pulled hard on her power. She shot into the air, leaving a trail of fire behind her as she closed in on the annoying girl. "I'm going to rip you to _pieces!"_

* * *

" _Sonic Move."_

The world blurred again, Briar Breeze's claws cleaved the air where she'd just been. She could feel the pull at her soul when _Bardiche_ delivered her from harm's way; her Linker Core, she knew. She spun in place, and fired a barrage of Photon Bullets that pinged and skipped off the woman's Aura, but succeeded in staggering her again.

 _I can do this!_ Using _Bardiche_ was tiring, and every time her own mana stuttered through the mismatched ' _magilink interface',_ it left stinging numbness in her fingers. But she could do it, the magic was coming at her call and she could tell she was wearing the bloodthirsty woman down bit by bit. It helped that the device was hand-feeding her the maneuvers and spells through her new visor's HUD. With every swing, every dodge, every fired spell, they were getting more and more used to each other; every choice came easier than the last.

Her next barrage missed. _Need to switch it up!_ "Bardiche! Haken Form!" The arcs of electricity made her teeth jitter in her mouth, but the device's energy blade popped out as requested. Ruby spiraled through the air and swooped in close, bringing the blade back for a swing.

Briar spun, raising her hands and unleashing a hellish burst of flame from her palms-

" _Sonic Move."_

-but Ruby blinked around behind her, scoring Briar's back from shoulder to hip. She dropped down to duck under the enraged woman's retaliatory swipe, arresting her plummeting dive scant feet from the withered grass.

She drew _Bardiche_ back again. "Bardiche, Haken S-"

Something wrapped around her ankle, searing heat burning through her barrier jacket's armored boot. A sharp yank jerked her out of the air, and the scorched ground rose up to meet her.

She slammed into the soil hard, nearly losing her grip on _Bardiche._ Rolling, she saw what caught her; Briar's accomplice had snared her with a whip made of fire when she'd gone too low. Ruby swung Bardiche around to sever the tendr-

Too late. Boots slammed into her back, driving her down into the hot ground. Claws raked through her barrier jacket, scattering magical fabric into motes of red light. Ruby screamed when they found flesh.

" _Jacket Pu-"_ _Bardiche_ was ripped from her hand, and Briar's claws tore the blade right off the axe head. Ruby felt her connection to the device _snap,_ arcs of electric feedback making her convulse.

A hard blow to her head threw stars across her vision, and she felt herself bounce across the earth again. She couldn't stop the screech of agony from bursting past her lips when hot grit found its way into her wounds.

Footsteps approached her, and she labored to push herself upright. Briar was closing in, licking crimson off her claws. Ruby felt the world going cold around her.

"No more games! Now you _die,_ you irritating brat."

The wind howled, and the world went white.


	34. Chapter 30

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 30 - Midnight

The pavement quaked under his feet as he ran, lungs heaving for breath in the acrid, smoke-filled air. Neptune kicked off the ground and dove just before the rocket hit the street where he'd been, tucking into a bouncing roll and slamming into the concrete barricade Sun was ducked down behind. "This is not what I was expecting to deal with as a junior detective!"

Sun gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, peering up over the barrier and ducking back down just as fast. Tracer rounds zipped overhead, impacts tearing into the concrete. "Shit, there's a whole squad of them just waiting for us!"

"Just what I needed to hear! Thanks!"

"That's not all, buddy. Shop across the street's got a bunch of people hiding inside it. We gotta get them out."

Neptune clenched a trembling fist. They'd been called out with the rest of the Vale PD when the alert had come through, but no amount of words had prepared them for the warzone the district had turned into. People were dying left and right to the White Fang's weapons, and more than a few of them had been shot right next to him. He'd taken a few rounds himself, and only the trained Aura had kept him from joining them in bleeding out on the ground. "Okay, okay yeah. They need to move, we're all right in the way of the advance."

"If I give you a distraction, can you keep me covered while I run for the shop?"

Neptune cringed as an explosive detonated a few scant yards from their barricade. It cracked through in places. "Y-yeah! Just do it _fast!"_

"I can do fast!" Sun slammed his palms together, and sunlight doubles of him bounded off toward the White Fang positions.

Neptune spun around and sighted his rifle, bracing it on the crumbling barrier and sending off volleys of blue energy. The response was immediate, return fire chipping at the divider even further. The doubles disappeared when Sun jumped over the barrier and ran as fast as his legs could take him, and the faunus stumbled when a few of the terrorist soldiers tracked him. Neptune gritted his teeth and concentrated fire on those ones in particular. _Look at me, you bastards! I'm the threat here, not him!_

He breathed a quick sigh of relief when Sun took a diving leap through one of the store's shattered windows, disappearing inside. He dropped back below his cover, swapping in a new magazine.

 _Tink._ The sound of metal hitting asphalt made him look up, and his eyes locked onto a small ball that had landed behind his cover, just a couple feet away. His eyes widened, and he threw himself to the-

The explosion sent him tumbling through the air a dozen yards and more, and he slammed into a parked car hard enough to set off the airbags inside. Neptune groaned weakly, sliding off the vehicle's crumpled hood to the ground. He raised his head, ears ringing, and saw Sun's face through the window across the street. He was screaming, voice muffled and indistinct like he was underwater. " _RUN!"_

Neptune pushed off the ground and tried to get to his feet, but a short burst caught him. The third bullet punched through his Aura, and he felt something in his good shoulder give. Neptune fell back to the ground with a scream of pain, and rolled clumsily behind the car.

The ground shook, heavy thuds one after another. Neptune gripped his rifle in his off hand, and tried to steady it on the hood of the car.

 _At least I can't miss,_ he thought grimly, blue pulses splashing impotently across the armor plating of the giant mech. Red laser targeters zeroed in on him, and the paladin's arm cannons came to bear. He yelled in defiance, holding down the trigger. The weapons _boomed,_ and light blinded him.

" _Panzerhindernis!"_

There were explosions, but he felt nothing but the breeze.

Through blurry vision, he could see a figure crouched in the street between him and the paladin, the ground cratered from its landing. Wiping his eyes clear, the figure resolved into details. A singled-edged blade, sunk into the asphalt. Armored boots and gauntlets, a faulded hipskirt and jacket over a pink tunic that matched her lengthy ponytail.

 _Legs that go on forever._ He blinked, for a moment pain forgotten. "...Signum?"

The White Fang troops glanced at each other, taken aback. The swordswoman rose to her feet, _Laevatein_ sliding loose from the asphalt silently. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Neptune. Join your partner and get to safety. We will handle these..." she paused, sweeping her gaze across White Fang's front line. Scores of soldiers, a pair of paladins; one of a dozen such advances across the district. "...malcontents."

A red streak plunged out of the air, smashing another crater into the street next to Signum. Vita rose to her feet, giving her hammer a test swing. It looked _wrong,_ Neptune realized. Double-headed, without the Dust vents on one side. She wasn't even wearing her huntress armor; the redhead was wearing a _frilly crimson dress_.

The insurgents brought up their weapons. Neptune found his voice, shouting. "S- Signum! Are you two crazy?!"

"Far from it. Explanations will come once this is over, I promise. Until then, stay safe." She raised her sword in a flourish, and Vita screamed a warcry.

The White Fang fired, and the two young women charged to meet them.

* * *

Hayate edged back, bringing her greatsword up in a guard position. Cinder flexed her fingers, and reformed her broken sword in her hand. The diminutive girl didn't attack though, circling around to put herself between Cinder and the crashed bullhead. "This is all your… strategy, isn't it? The White Fang attacking, Team CFVY getting overrun? The storm over Patch?"

Behind Hayate, Cinder could see Takamachi and Scrya picking themselves off the ground, blood staining their clothes. The girl's staff was cracked and sparking, blue smoke leaking from the vents in the head. They stumbled toward the cockpit of the craft, trying keep their attention on her while they pulled Goodwitch from the burning wreckage. "Of course it was. You know the benefit of good planning; you and the Valkyrie girl spent weeks with your dating games before the dance."

" _Why?"_ Hayate ground the word out. "What were you hoping to accomplish?" Her accent was thicker than normal, syllables rolling off her tongue with obvious effort.

"You honestly have to ask that question? Come now, Hayate. I thought you were smarter than that." Cinder frowned, watching the girl. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, lips twitching.

"The Fall Maiden's _core?_ All this for a _lost logia-"_ Hayate winced, giving her head a shake. "All this for an ancient power?"

Cinder frowned. She'd never heard those words before. Some other language, she could tell. _Why is she speaking so poorly now? She never had trouble before._ Before she could speak, though, Hayate's expression relaxed the slightest bit.

It came to her in a rush. _She's stalling for time. She's calling for help, somehow!_ Cinder charged forward in a burst of speed, her slashing swords becoming a fiery blur. Hayate backpedaled, but Cinder was too close for her untested footwork. Glass clashed against steel with a screech. _I have to finish them quickly so they can't follow me!_

* * *

James had left to oversee the defense of Vale from his sole remaining cruiser where it hovered over Vale. Lindy was standing next to Ozpin, watching Blue One approach the unfolding battle against the White Fang and the Grimm.

Their scrolls buzzed loudly. He tore his gaze away from the distant explosions to look at the screen.

It was a text from Reinforce. _The bullhead got shot down! It was Cinder Fall, she stole the core! We're going to help!_

Lindy scowled, tapping a response. "Masterfully done, I hate to admit. We knew they were forcing us to split our forces, and we had no choice but to play along."

"Do you think they'll be able to stop her?" Ozpin asked.

She hesitated before responding, a long moment. "We don't know what a fully realized Maiden is capable of. Eventually, I'm sure we will, yes. Will they be able to stop her _now?"_ Lindy shook her head. "I can't say."

Ozpin's reply was cut short by his scroll buzzing again. He glanced at the screen, then held it to his ear. "Mr. Xerxes. I hope this is important, you do understand that we are in a crisis situation."

" _That's why I'm calling, Headmaster. Bastion stands ready, at least what assets we have available. Where do you need us?"_

Ozpin glanced at the distant battle again. "...assist the civilians in evacuating. Leave the White Fang to the official forces being deployed."

" _We're moving on site."_

* * *

Holika lashed out with her whip, directing the clinging flames to snare the strange wolf-faunus' throat; she was the one thing still keeping the kraken from swarming the island with its Grimm, and her interference needed to be dealt with.

The woman seemed to feel the attack coming, throwing an arm in the way and letting the lash of burning leather wrap around her forearm instead. Still, it was as good a hold as any, and Holika gripped hard and pulled.

The woman was strong, Holika had to give her that. Still, she stumbled a step, and the strange circle of light below her flickered. A handful of the light-chains shattered, and the kraken bellowed its fury as the hold on it weakened.

A pair of the kraken's tentacles tore free, launching a dozen of its spawn into the trees. Makara chittered and clattered as they unfolded, swarming toward the Schnee girl and her helpless friends.

Above them, Briar was still fighting the crimson-caped brat, who was doing an admittedly remarkable job of keeping Briar busy with a mix of red energy blasts and lightning-fast melee strikes. Holika focused on the orange-haired faunus, but kept an eye on the aerial duel.

A makara thudded into the edge of the cliff, limbs clacking when it pulled itself onto the surface. It charged at the faunus, and its pincers caught her around the middle. Pulling even harder on the whip, Holika was rewarded with the jerking _pop_ of the woman's shoulder dislocating.

The faunus howled, and her whole body flashed with orange light, bright enough to make Holika shield her eyes. When it cleared, there wasn't a woman there anymore. A massive orange-furred wolf was _savaging_ the makara, claws raking through the bone plating, fangs clamped around the Grimm's throat. With a jerk of her head, the wolf tore the Grimm's head clean off, black smoking blood arcing through the air.

The damage was done, though. With another roar, the kraken broke free of its bindings. Its tentacles swept through the air, volley after volley of Grimm slamming down around them all. She felt the tattoo on her back _squirm_ as a dozen of them looked at her, then shifted their gazes to the snarling wolf. Holika let them pass her by, turning away to look back at the sky.

Her whip moved almost without conscious thought, flames guided by her semblance, and snagged the flying huntress' ankle. The fact that she was interrupting a one-on-one battle didn't bother Holika at all; it was _war,_ after all, and the girl had it coming if she thought she was going to try to stop them.

With satisfaction she watched Briar take the opportunity given, putting a decisive end to her fight. Holika put her back to them, snapping her whip out and watching the faunus-wolf slowly get dragged down by weight of numbers. Lobster-claws gripped the changed woman's limbs, biting in but failing to penetrate. She sent her flaming weapon coiling forward to wrap around a furry throat.

A blast of Dust-propelled pellets slammed into her side, nearly making her lose her hold on her whip. She spun to face her new attacker, and her eyes found Ozpin's _little bird._

She couldn't help but think that he didn't look so little when his weapon was spinning out into that _scythe._

Before she could react, though, charging footsteps had her turning _again,_ and she just barely jumped back in time to avoid a vicious, Dust-accelerated punch from Signal's _combat instructor._ The well-tanned man squared off against her, violet eyes narrowed.

Holika took another step back.

* * *

"Don't you touch her, you hot-headed _bitch."_

Velvety soft cloth, as cool as a mountain breeze, caressed her stinging face. Even through the pain of her wounds, the voice, almost like her own, brought back faint memories a decade old. For an instant, she was reminded of the smell of baking cookies, of a cheerful laugh, her father's joyful smile. Ruby's thoughts were overwhelmed with memories of _home._

Wind pushed the cloth away, white fabric now stained with crimson from her bleeding nose. It snapped and fluttered in the wind, revealing a figure clad in blacks and reds, buckles and straps holding fitted leather to a slender form. The tattered ends of the cloak seemed to tear away into the wind, becoming a cloud of white petals that circled around them both.

Small hands were tight around the grips of a pair of hand-scythes, trailing chains that wrapped around and bolted to her gauntlets. Ten feet away, Briar Breeze had stopped in her tracks, her blazing eyes wide with hatred and-

And _fear._ Even as Briar formed balls of fire in her hands, the woman before her looked over her shoulder, down at her. Ruby found herself staring at a face that was nearly the mirror of her own… but for the eyes.

As flaming red as Briar's were, these were silver-white, energy pouring from them harshly enough to make Ruby squint, at odds with the longing tenderness on her face. Winglike projections of light flared from them, casting a surreal glow over everything present.

It was the emotion there that let her finally find her voice; Ruby almost didn't want to speak the word, afraid that the woman before her would scatter away like a wistful dream if she broke the silence. "M- Mom?"

"Don't worry, Ruby." Summer's voice was as warm as her name, but chilled to freezing cold when she looked away from Ruby to the fiery faunus. "She won't hurt you any more."

Briar's searing attacks were met by a gust of icy wind, flames guttering and dying before they had closed half the short distance between them. Her mother's voice took on the tone of ringing ice, freezing rain lancing down from the sky above to score Briar's face and arms. "I've wasted a decade of my life because of you and the people like you, _Summer Maiden._ Ten years, ten _years_ I've hidden from everyone I cared about because I knew that you and yours would use them to get at me."

"No more. Your mistress wanted you all to find me?" The swirl of petals around turned into a storm, a typhoon, a tornado of razor-sharp white. Hands suddenly gripped Ruby's shoulders- "Well you've found me, and you're about to learn precisely how cold Winter can be."

-and she was yanked back into a swirling vortex of black and red. She found herself lying on the tortured loam next to Blake and Yang, looking up into a mask of white bone. The wearer straightened, turning to Weiss and commanding in sharp tones. "Schnee girl. She's bleeding badly, bind her wounds and _keep your friends safe._ We'll handle it from here."

Weiss' voice was shrill with stress. "You'll- who _are_ you?!" Her words fell on empty air, the red-garbed rescuer disappearing into another swirling hole in space.

* * *

The inside of the bullhead was a disaster, equipment lockers broken open and scattering their contents across the hold. The craft was belly up on the ground, the injured moaning weakly in piles on the ceiling-turned-floor. Amy pushed herself upright, shaking her head clear.

Ren was already up and moving from person to person, tending to wounds both new and reopened. All four members of CFVY were unconscious, already weakened Aura's unable to withstand the crash. Through the hatch they could see the sky overhead, light and fluffy clouds half-hidden by gusts of blowing sand. "What in the world hit us?"

The pilot dropped down into the hold, cradling a clearly-broken arm. "Grit in the port intakes. They're supposed to be able to-" An energetic roar drowned out his words, blue light pouring through the gaping hatch overhead. In the distance, a goliath's trumpeting cry of anger echoed in response. "-they're supposed to to able to deal with that, but something blew in more than should have been possible!"

Winter cursed fouly and jumped out into the open air, vanishing past the hatch's lip. There was another flash of light, and a beowolf's frigid howl joined the sounds. Boots slammed down onto the Bullheads's hull, and Chrono's reached in. "Amy! I need you to get to the tower and _get it working!"_

"Are you serious? I'm _software and communications,_ not a hardware specialist!" Still, she reached up and grabbed Chrono's hand, letting him pull her up.

"You're the only technician still standing! We need to get a message out!"

"We're hours from Vale, Chrono!"

"I know, Amy." Contrary to military discipline, he pulled her into a short, tight embrace, then shoved her in the direction of the tower. "We've got to warn them. Nikos, Valkyrie, keep her safe!"

Pyrrha and Nora jumped out of the hatch to join them, looking a little worse for wear from the crash but still okay. Amy looked around, and saw Winter rapid-firing glyphs at a sneering woman wrapped in flowing silks. "What about the hostile?"

"Schnee's keeping her busy! GO!" Chrono spun around, raising _S2U_ and launching a flurry of stinger blades.

Amy jumped down, pulling her capacitor pistol from her leg holster. They took off at a run, arms raised against the storm of sand. Her wrist computer pinged constantly, reporting the energy expenditure as her duty jacket repelled the stinging grit. Tiny flashes of Pyrrha and Nora's Auras told her that it was affecting them as well.

Grimm swarmed into their way, but the two trainee huntresses carved a path forward for her. She fired off packet pulses when she could, and moments later she was staring up at the metal girders and struts of the CCTS support tower.

The schematics flashed through her mind, as much as she could remember from studying them during the ride over. "Cover me, I'm going up!" Amy ran for the the ladder in the center of the structure, pulling herself up as quickly as she could.

The platform at the top of the structure held most of the transmission equipment; signal repeaters, boosters, and a Dust power core. _Okay, okay. I don't need to repair it completely. I just need to get the signal boosters going again so I can link to my scroll and get the message out._ Below her, she could hear gunfire and explosions, the heavy smack of hammer hitting bone and the slicing of steel through Grimm flesh.

She climbed onto the platform, ducking through the open door. As expected, the room was in shambled; consoles and equipment racks were exposed to the air, half-assembled guts plain to see.

What she _didn't_ expect was the impact to her back that blasted her into the center console, crushing it under her. Her duty jacket failed, wrist computer beeping a shrill warning.

A meaty hand grabbed her by the neck, lifting her out of the wreckage. Amy kicked and struggled, and her flailing boots caught her attacker in the knee.

Then she was flying again, Aura flaring as she smashed through the wall of the tower and into open air. She screamed in panic, the ground rushing up to meet her.

"I've got you! I've-" She slammed down into someone's arms, and she heard Jaune's yell of pain as her momentum drove him into the ground. He groaned, rolling her off him. "That's twice I've lived to regret doing that…"

"I hope you live long enough to give me a _challenge!"_ A figure landed next to them, making the ground shake. When he stood, they gaped. The massive man would dwarf Yatsuhashi, closer to eight feet tall than seven and tanned skin bulging with muscle. His club, thick black wood longer and thicker than Amy's leg, was held easily in one hand.

Jaune clambered to his feet, _Crocea Mors_ in his hand and shield on his arm. "Get behind me!"

A blue beam through the air cast their shadows across the ground. " _Amy! Is the tower-"_ Black wings blotted out the sun, and a giant nevermore flew past. Chrono's shout cut off with a strangled yell.

Club met shield with a deafening crack, and the rocky ground split underneath Jaune's legs. His return thrust, swift as a wasp, skipped off the giant man's naked chest. "Ha! Haha, _splendid!"_ the man's voice boomed. "And for a student? A first year trainee? Fantastic!"

The club came across, knocking Jaune's shield aside, then came smashing back toward his head. A black glow surrounded the young man's breastplate, and he was yanked forcefully to the ground just before the blow struck. Pyrrha leaped over his prone form, _Milo_ spear tip darting forward.

The man only laughed louder, batting the thrust aside and punishing _Akouo_ with his club. "Pyrrha Nikos! The invincible girl herself!"

Amy scrambled away from the developing brawl, frantically searching the skies. She found the nevermore overhead, Chrono's leg trapped in the Grimm's mouth. He was struggling, blasting the creature with packet spells, but the thrashing and jerking of the beast's head was preventing his ability to charge a stronger attack.

Her capacitor pistol was still in her hand. Amy raised the gun, pointing the stubby barrel at the circling Nevermore and holding the trigger down. The battery display flashed, the remaining percentage dropping sharply as the contained packet of magic in front of the barrel swelled. Amy waited until the weapon beeped in complaint, the held shot at maximum power, then released the trigger and let the shot fly.

It streaked into the sky, crashing into the nevermore's underbelly and detonating. The Grimm let out a shriek, more of surprise than pain, and Chrono dropped free. He twisted as he fell, bringing _S2U_ around and wasting no time in discharging a lance of magic that cored the nevermore through its wounded belly.

The beast disintegrated in the air, and Chrono landed with a heavy thump next to Amy, favoring his right leg. His barrier jacket was torn and damaged, barely intact, and the relief on his face told her just how dire it had been. "Thanks for the save. What's up with the tower?"

Amy shook her head. "There was… that guy that Jaune and Pyrrha are fighting, he was waiting for me up there. It's scrap."

Lightning split the cloudless sky, thunder drowning out the sounds of battle. Even the Grimm seemed to slow for a moment, heads turning to look at the source.

Winter Schnee slowly dropped to her knees, then pitched onto her side. Her opponent laughed merrily, one arm still raised toward the heavens and the other crackling with leftover electricity. "Bronze, why are you still playing around with the children? Kill them and be done with it!"

"You promised me battles, Yasmine! This has hardly been a skirmish! And if I kill them, I can't fight them again after they've gained more skill!"

Beside her, Amy could feel Chrono building a spell. The tall woman, Yasmine, scoffed, tilting her nose up. "You came here knowing we would leave no survivors, Bronze. Kill them."

"If I must. My apologies, Ms. Nikos. I was looking forward to meeting you once more on the field of battle," his hand shot out, smashing through her exhausted guard and catching her around the throat, "but orders are orders, and the Maiden is a commanding mistress."

Bronze started to squeeze. Jaune let out a ragged yell, throwing all his weight into a tackle and knocking all three of them to the ground. Chrono threw his spell, flinging a bind straight at the woman called Yasmine.

It flew straight and true, spinning through the local fields. The woman's eyes widened and she raised her hands reflexively.

Just before impact, a beowolf jumped in the way, taking the hit meant for her. The beast fell to the ground, trussed head to toe in binding blue rings.

She recovered her poise immediately, but her affronted gaze fixed on Chrono. "You _are_ a tricky one. That's enough out of you." She raised her hand to the sky again, pointing at him. Lightning came at her call, channeling through her upraised limb and arcing out her pointing fingers.

"Round Shield!" Chrono threw up his own hand, catching the blast of electricity. The shield held for a full second before shattering, and the tail edges of the bolt slammed into his damaged barrier jacket, driving him to his knees. _S2U_ bit into the ground, the only thing keeping him upright.

Amy put herself between the woman and Chrono, firing short pulses from her pistol. They did little more than annoy the woman, and second bolt came down from the sky. The woman caught the lightning, the same as the first.

She leveled her hand, and the lightning poured forth.

Nora jumped in the way. She grinned, blue sparks crackling between her teeth, whirling and throwing _Magnhild_ to the side.

The spinning warhammer caught Bronze in the gut, just as he had regained his feet. The giant of a man doubled over from the impact, knocked flying through the air to vanish into the sandstorm. Nora laughed wildly, thumping her chest and taunting Yasmine. "Hit me again, I dare ya!"

"If you insist." Yasmine pointed again, but it wasn't lightning that lanced out from the gesture. It was ice, spear-like and sharp as a blade. Nora went down gurgling, eyes wide and hands wrapped around the icicle in her belly.

Jaune and Pyrrha staggered back to their feet, trading glances. They raised their shields and charged. Ice and hail met them, punishing them for every step they took.

Around them, the Grimm started closing in. Amy fired until her pistol beeped empty, hardly putting a dent in the swarm. She swapped in a new battery with trembling hands.

Chrono's singed gauntlet found her trembling hand, squeezing. He climbed back to his feet, leaning on her for support. _S2U_ flared again, but the packet attacks were weak and insubstantial.

 _Not like this!_ Amy squeezed her eyes shut, icy fear clenching around her heart. It clambered in her chest, screaming for release. She screamed.

* * *

Hayate was outmatched, and she knew it. While she'd jumped into melee training at Beacon with all the excitement in the world, two months of training and boundless enthusiasm were not enough to substitute for years of earned experience.

Trying to fight Cinder made her acutely aware of just how true it was. The empowered woman seemed to be everywhere, obsidian blades slashing at Hayate with abandon. She couldn't get _Schwertkreuz_ in the way fast enough to stop one of the woman's swords, let alone both. Her only real advantage was her Aura, potent even by trained huntress' standards, but Cinder's lightning-fast assault chipped away at it with every strike.

 _I just have to hold her for another minute! Just a little longer!_ She managed to get in a swing of her own, forcing Cinder to parry. She put every bit of strength she had into the blow, knocking Cinder back a step. Hayate spun, bringing _Schwertkreuz_ around in a vicious horizontal slash-

The mind-scream of fear and anguish bit into her thoughts without warning, nearly a physical blow in its intensity. Hayate stumbled, _Schwertkreuz_ dipping and biting into the pavement at Cinder's feet. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the haze of _information_ that was clouding her senses. For a moment, she saw whirling sand and Grimm eyes, and felt more than heard the cry for help-

Pain. Hayate gasped, letting go of Schwertkreuz to grip the glass blade that had just plunged into her belly. The gasp became a ragged wail as she was lifted to her feet by the sword, and she found herself looking into Cinder's fire-shrouded eyes.

"For what it's worth, Hayate, I don't actually want to kill you. I can't help but respect how shrewd and crafty you are underneath your silly hobbies." Cinder raised her other blade, bringing it in line with Hayate's throat. "But that in mind, I can't have _you_ of all people following me. Goodbye, Hayate Yagami." The air thrummed with tension, and Hayate could feel the something pulling her upward.

The edge of the obsidian sword flashed in ice-white light, diving for her throat.

* * *

A bolt of ice caught the blade, knocking it from Cinder's hand and shattering it against the asphalt. "Get away from my meister, you- you fiend!"

She looked up in shock. Cinder jumped back, narrowly avoiding another spear of ice that would have caught her square in the chest, and tracked it to a white-haired child arrowing down from the skies overhead. The child came to a halt directly between her and Hayate, anger written plain on her cherubic face.

Cinder blinked as the scale clicked into place. The little girl was barely a foot tall, no bigger than a child's doll. The fury pouring off of her was almost _adorable,_ juxtaposed with her miniature stature. The triangle of white light forming in front of her upraised palm, cute as it was, reminded Cinder of the strange symbols that Takamachi and the two guards had-

 _Oh shit!_ She threw up her hands, frantically calling forth fire. Steam exploded concussively as a storm of ice met her flamethrower blast, throwing her back. She heard the little girl yell something, and a dome of white light formed around Hayate and the girl, stretching as far back as to encompass the bullhead.

Loud chanting caught her attention, and she looked up. A hundred feet above the bullhead was the black-haired woman from the vault, a split-barreled cannon gripped in her hands. The air in front of the barrel seethed with violet energies. Her words washed over Cinder, crackling with power and completely unintelligible.

Golden eyes met her own. Cinder's skin crawled, like static electricity was creeping down her back. "Cinder Fall," the woman shouted, her accent thick. "This is for my partner. From me, to you. With a grudge."

Cinder broke and fled, taking to the air and leaving a contrail of fire behind her. She put hundreds of yards between them in an instant, pouring all her newfound strength into _speed._

It didn't matter. The woman's words didn't chase her, no. They came from the air around her, distorted by power. " _Shortest Path."_

Her world exploded in dark light, so deep violet that it hurt to see-

* * *

"Rein-!" Hayate gasped as the glass blade piercing through her vanished, the fresh wave of pain forcing her to bite back another wail. She could taste copper. "Reinforce!"

"Meister!" Reinforce flew to her, circling around her in a fit of worry. "You're hurt! Let me cast a healing spell!"

"No, there's- ah- there's no time! Didn't you hear her?" Hayate forced herself to her feet, one hand pressed to the wound, stumbling to where her sword was still stuck in the street. Her other hand gripped the zweihander's hilt. "Schwertkreuz, set up!"

Tiny hands gripped her forearm. "Hear who?"

Hayate used the staff to straighten up. "Amy! I don't know how, but she- she contacted me! Reinforce, unison!"

Her voice, pained as it was, commanded instant obedience. Reinforce's hands on her arm glowed as the little device complied. "Unison in!"

The feeling of their power merging brought momentary relief from the pain. Hayate's newly reformed barrier jacket flared, six wings appearing behind her, and she took to the air. Their thoughts flowed together, and she felt Reinforce's concern rise sharply as her intent became known. "Can we do it?"

Reinforce's voice echoed in her mind, distinct from her own thoughts. " _I… I have the coordinates, yes! But the interference field… we can't!"_

"We have to! They need help now, nothing else can reach them in time!" The ground shrunk below them as Hayate strained for height, and she started drawing heavily from her linker core. "Lock the coordinates, and put everything you have into stabilizing us!"

" _I-if you're sure. Shamal's going to kill us both, you know!"_

"She's welcome to it when we get back." White runes flared below her feet, brightening until the Belkan triangle glowed like a second sun. "Spatial Transfer!"

* * *

 _Laevatein_ hissed as the flame-shrouded blade cut through another paladin, slicing the machine's leg off at the knee and bringing the whole thing crashing down to the side. A reverse cut brought the device's edge into the pilot's compartment, and the pilot's muffled scream was cut short.

The White Fang advance had been halted by their arrival, the four knights splitting off to counterattack the strongest leading edges. Per Ironwood's orders, the cruiser's deployed forces were concentrating on the Grimm that were still rampaging out of the exposed tunnel, backed up by Vale's police and Beacon's students. The White Fang were being pushed back toward the breach, pressed against the anvil that was the encroaching Grimm horde.

The _Wolkenritter_ were the hammer. Unstoppable and unyielding, as Signum decided to prove when a trio of the machines fired heavy cannons at her. Her armor spirit spell stopped the impacts cold against her skin, and _Laevatein's_ snake form separated mechanical limbs from torsos in a flash.

Still, she had to admit, there were a _lot_ of the insurgents. Dust propelled rounds carried a lot more punch than standard kinetic weapons tended to, and she had to spent a fair amount of her time and energy bolstering her defenses to resist the dozens of assault rifles pointed in her direction. They were still making progress, but it was _slow._

When they'd gotten word through their devices that Hayate's bullhead had been shot down, she'd been too entrenched in the engagement to disengage easily; there was little in the way of troops behind them to take their place. Shamal, thankfully, had already been functioning in a support role, and had shot back into the air to fly toward the docks.

The rip-roar of a chainsaw filled her ears, and she turned to see the large White Fang soldier from the riot charging toward her. He brought the weapon across in a diagonal slash, the spinning teeth howling for her neck. "You are _mine!"_ he bellowed.

She brought her sword up in a perfect parry. " _Schlangebiss!"_

" _Explosion!"_ _Laevatein_ responded, glee in its strident tone as the cartridge fired. A single link of the device's _Schlangeform_ separated, catching the man's sword in the gap. Their blades locked, and Signum still found herself forced to take a step back from the impact.

Then _Laevatein_ slammed back together, flame and sparks exploding from the bite. The White Fang soldier's sword shattered, bladed chain links flying everywhere. He was left holding a stubby foot of broken blade, the Dust-engine inside howling uselessly.

Signum's clenched gauntlet, powered by strength and magic, shattered both his Aura and his jaw. He flew back into an approaching paladin, the machine's armor crumpling inward from the impact, and both fell to the ground.

Neither man nor machine rose back to their feet to challenge her. Signum flexed her hand, the bent plates of her gauntlet straightening with a squeal of stressed metal, and moved on.

 _Still…_ She paused, raising her scroll and speaking out a message. "Alpha to Command. Making slow progress. If the insurgent advance changes tactics, we may not be able to counter. Requesting bombardment support."

* * *

"Qrow!" Summer's voice rang out through the air, threatening to drown him in memory. "Murder in Flight! Save the wolf! Tai, keep the lackey busy!"

And just like that, just like in their days back in Beacon, his sister was beside him, her odachi gleaming in the light. Qrow pushed the memories aside, suddenly wanting to drink, even more than he had been recently. "You're leader today on _credit,_ Summer," he growled. Still, the old command phrase had them running forward toward the pod of makara. Raven dove in front, a whirlwind of slashes taking limbs off at the joints, and his scythe followed through the openings to finish the aquatic Grimm off.

The wolf was still struggling when they reached her, and their weapons made quick work of the last few Grimm. The familiar panted, blood matting her fur, then tried to bound away toward Fate's still form.

Qrow stopped her, grabbing a handful of her mane-like scruff to get her attention. She spun on him, snarling. "Arf! The kraken! We need you to stop the kraken from spawning more!"

For a moment, he thought she wasn't going to listen to her. But finally the familiar nodded, turning to face the giant sea Grimm and howling. Her spell-chains poured forth, though fewer in number than before.

The wind howled, lightning striking the treeline again and again. Qrow shielded his eyes, turning to look. He couldn't even _see_ Summer; she was completely hidden inside a storm of ice and petals, a sphere of white blades twenty paces wide. Everything the faunus Maiden did was disdainfully swept aside by the miniature blizzard, and whenever it caught up to her she burst free shaking and frost-bitten.

One of the kraken's free tentacles snapped like a whip, sending a bone spear flying straight for Summer. Raven vanished from his side, appearing in the projectile's path and splitting it end to end with a slash from her sword.

Taiyang was still mixing it up with the other faunus woman, who was narrowly avoiding his lunging strikes. Her flaming retaliations may as well have been thrown at empty air. She finally ducked and slammed her hands into the dirt, earth erupting around her in a fiery nova. Taiyang jumped back, and in the moment that he was disengaged, Briar formed up with her.

Qrow shifted his weapon, pointing the twin barrels at the pair. Summer's ice sphere thinned out, revealing her frost-rimed form. Taiyang and Raven moved in as well, the entirety of Team STRQ boxing the pair in against the cliff edge.

The two exchanged a wordless glance, then turned and leapt off the edge. A slash of Briar's claws sundered Arf's binding chains, and the kraken's tentacles caught them as they fell. The massive Grimm sunk beneath the churning waves, vanishing from sight.

For a moment, there was only the howling of the storm. Then Arf was bounding toward her fallen master, shifting back to human form mid-stride. "FATE!"

Taiyang's expressionless facade crumbled, torn by indecision as he glanced at Summer and Raven. Qrow put a hand on his shoulder, jerking his head toward the treeline. "Go see your kids, Tai. I'll talk to them."

The relief on his face was tangible, and Taiyang gave a grateful nod before running toward Team RWBY. Qrow turned, walking a bit more sedately. The two wayward women were a short distance from Arf, awkwardly not-watching the crying familiar cradling the unconscious blonde. Summer was bent over, hands on her knees, and Raven's hand was resting on her back.

He stopped a few yards away from them, pulling his flask from his pocket. The motion caught their attention, and two pairs of eyes fixed on him. Raven's were as red as blood, just like her daughter's whenever Yang let her anger get the better of her. Summer's were hidden by flares of silver-white, but he could still feel their intensity.

Raven pulled a black blindfold from her pocket, handing it over without looking. Summer grabbed it with a bit of haste, settling it over her eyes and hiding the glow, then bending back down again.

Qrow unscrewed the cap of his flask, but hesitated, watching the pair. "You're out of shape, Summer." It wasn't an idle comment; the woman was sucking down air like she'd just run a marathon.

"The… hell I am, Qrow." Summer straightened back up with effort, head turned in his direction. "Using the Mantle like that takes a lot out of me, and-"

"And you never had a powerful Aura, I remember." He turned the flask over and let the contents pour onto the scorched ground. It took a long moment to empty; it had been completely full, after all. "I think you two owe us an explanation." Summer opened her mouth, but Qrow cut her off. "A better one than 'the girls are in danger'. Ten _years_ we've thought you were dead, Summer. Tai almost lost it after we buried- after we _thought_ we buried you."

Raven edged forward, putting herself between Summer and Qrow. She opened her mouth, but Qrow cut her off. "And _you!_ What the _fuck,_ sis? I've heard from you three times in the past decade, and the first time was you telling us that you'd failed your mission and Winter was dead."

"I was doing my _job,_ Qrow. The same kind of job that Ozpin gave you after I-"

"After you _disappeared,_ you mean?"

"Stop!" Summer straightened up, somehow managing to glare at them both right through her blindfold. "We're not having this argument right now."

Qrow grit his teeth, glancing over his shoulder at his nieces. Taiyang was tearing strips from Weiss' offered jacket, using them to dress Ruby and Yang's wounds. "No, you're right. But we will be talking about this later." He pulled his scroll from his pocket, signaling their pilot for evac.

He didn't miss the look Raven gave Summer, the hand on her shoulder. Summer shook her head. "No. No more hiding, there isn't any reason anymore. We're going back to Beacon."

* * *

The tenacity of Beacon's reinforcements had come as something of a surprise, Yasmine had to admit to herself. The Schnee woman had been expected and accounted for, and while extremely skilled for first-year students, Team JNPR still weren't at a level that she had to worry about. Even Valkyrie's lightning-enhanced strength had been predictably easy to deal with, though her surprise hit on Bronze had knocked him an impressively far distance away.

No, the surprise was the blue haired _warlock_ that had been supporting them from the skies. While he _obviously_ wasn't a true Maiden, he was channeling disturbingly powerful effects of pure energy, sufficient to put down any single Grimm regardless of size. Luckily, Grimm she had to spare, and Yasmine had kept him busy with waves of giant nevermores and goliaths.

Between them all, they'd killed hundreds of lesser Grimm and dozens of larger ones, but Grimm were above all else easy to replace. Eventually, even his strange magic had started waning, until she was able to put him down like the rest.

The young brunette woman was back to back with the injured warlock, desperately keeping the encroaching Grimm back with blasts from the energy pistol she carried. Her Aura had flared brightly a few moments ago, blue like the sky, but Yasmine hadn't seen anything happen. She let the beowolves box them in, switching her attention to what was left of Team JNPR.

Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. The youngest child of a family of has-beens, working in tandem with the Invincible Girl herself, and beyond all expectations he was holding up his end. He was slower than she was, but the strength of his Aura let him shrug off blows that by all rights should have stopped him in his tracks, and the Mistralian champion was taking full advantage of the openings his stalwart style provided. Their last companion, the orphan named Lie, was using the distraction they provided to drag the unconscious Schnee back to the crashed bullhead and the scant cover it provided. He'd already retrieved his bleeding partner.

 _This is taking too long,_ she thought. _I have things to do._ A wave of her hand sent a pair of trumpeting goliaths charging toward them. A tusk smote Arc in the chest, sending him flying back into the Bullhead's side. He slid to the ground, groaning.

Nikos called the boy's name, fear for him in her voice. The goliaths hemmed her in, bellowing, and their massive stomps shook the ground and brought her low. One brought up its foot, intending to grind her into the rusty ground.

The girl screamed, her Aura flaring black. The CCTS support tower groaned, metal creaking, then tilted and fell faster than gravity should have allowed, slamming into the goliath and breaking the beast's back. Clenching her fist, Nikos pulled, and the length of twisted girders rolled through the air, batting the other goliath aside.

Yasmine perked an eyebrow, jumping back and taking to the air. The jumbled mass of metal bounced across the ground below her, smashing Grimm to paste beneath it, then continuing on. Nikos fell to her hands and knees, gasping for the breath that her last-ditch effort sapped away.

"Impressive, Pyrrha Nikos, even at the end." Yasmine called forth a barrage of ice spears, a dozen and more. "But the end _has_ come. I'll speak kindly of you when-"

A bomb exploded far overhead, making Yasmine lose her hold on the spears. They shattered from the shockwave, shards of ice falling to the red earth. She tore her gaze up, struggling to stay in the air through the sudden turbulence.

A solitary figure floated in the sky, a hundred feet above her. Six black feathered wings stretched wide, and crimson-stained hands lifted a cross-shaped staff high. A giant nevermore took note of her, banking around and sweeping up to launch feathers.

" _Blutiger Dolch."_ A storm of red blades tore the Grimm to shreds, faster than it could even cry out. Even from so far away, Yasmine could feel the fury and power sheeting off of the girl in waves, like the blood that dripped from the girl's nose and mouth. She hadn't even glanced at the Grimm bird; her only acknowledgment of its existence had been its slaughter.

Ice blue eyes locked onto her, and Yasmine felt more than heard the words issuing forth from stained lips. She'd never heard the language before, but somehow the she understood; power carried its own meaning.

Light drained away, as if it was being pulled into the black sphere forming at the tip of the girl's staff. Far below, the warlock raised his own weapon, and a blue dome stretched around the crashed bullhead.

" _In an ancient land,"_ the girl shouted, " _Sink into darkness!"_

Yasmine's eyes widened. She turned and fled, as fast as the wind could carry her, leaving the Grimm to their fate.

" _Diabolic Emission!"_

* * *

"Captain! Anomaly detected, visual range! Putting it on screen!"

The main screen of the _Warding Gesture_ flickered, displaying the planet below. Sensor data poured in, and the image focused on a portion of the planet's day side. Gil's eyes widened. "My God."

A spot of pure blackness was growing in the field of view, visible from orbit to the naked eye. Clouds were being blown back by the shockwave, a widening hole that was quickly bracketed by scrolling data numbers from the ship's sensors. Uno stopped what she was doing, watching the screen as well.

The communication board pinged. "Sir! Priority encrypted channel."

"Link it to my device." Gil let the channel connect to him telepathically. ' _Graham here.'_

' _Graham. I need you to confirm the reading we picked up. Sensors just detected a Diabolic Emission on the surface."_

' _...Confirmed, we detected it as well.'_

' _Please confirm that there were no habitat structures within range.'_ Grumman's mental tone carried the faintest hints of emotion. He had his hand on the trigger controls, Graham knew.

' _Confirmed, Grumman. The Diabolic Emission occurred in an uninhabited portion of the planetary surface. Wait one.'_

' _Holding.'_

"Sensors, are we detecting any follow up?"

"Ah… negative, sir. The blast is fading now. No additional readings detected."

Gil nodded, closing his eyes. ' _No additional reactions detected. It appears to have been a controlled casting, Captain Grumman.'_

' _Understood. Contact me if you need anything. Grumman out.'_ The telepathic connection closed.

Gil let out a small breath of relief. Fifteen years ago, Grumman had been given command of the _Lady Midday_ specifically because he could be counted on to act only when absolutely necessary. The man _would_ fire an Arc-en-Ciel at a planetary target, but only if there was no other choice.

He shook his head. "See if you can get a message out to Aria and Lotte. Point them toward the blast site, if they didn't already notice it."

* * *

She took a running start and jumped with far more force than even most huntresses could manage. A city intersection flew by underneath her, choked with automobiles and pedestrians trying to get away from the White Fang attack.

Grid-lines overlaid Penny's vision, and a parabolic curve stretched out from her toward the oncoming rooftop, tracing her trajectory. At five meters to impact, she shifted her legs forward, expending the energy into a roll across the surface.

She popped back to her feet, and took a mana sensor out of the bundle she'd been hurriedly given at the _Arthra._ With a tiny flourish, she braced it against the concrete edge of the roof and stomped the anchoring spike into place.

It took her fifteen minutes to spread the dozen sensors out in a line, stretching from the edge of Beacon Campus to the breach. Tireless synthetic muscles and her internal Dust reactor kept her moving at her most efficient speed the entire time, and she made a point of keeping a log file of the entire action. Her father would want to see the data when this was all over, she was sure.

For now, though, she had a mission to complete. Penny pulled out her scroll, dialing and holding the device to her ear. The other line picked up immediately. " _Penny? Did you run into any problems?"_

"No, Admiral Lindy, Ma'am! All mana sensors are in place and active!"

" _Excellent. Durandal is receiving telemetry from them now. Pass word to the defenders that they have five minutes to get to the safe zone."_

"Aye, aye!" Penny spun to salute the far off spire of Beacon's tower, then turned and jumped down to the street.

* * *

Lindy settled into place at the very tip of Beacon's tower, resting one foot on the pointed spire and letting a low-power flight spell keep herself stable. She spun _Durandal_ once in her hand, and the blue-tinged visor over her eyes scrolled numbers and error corrections.

Leaning out an open window, Ozpin was shielding his eyes from the sun's glare, looking up at her. "Are you sure about this, Lindy?" He had to shout to be heard over the wind.

"Quite sure, Ozpin! The defense teams are pulling back, and even if I miss, well," she shrugged, and _Durandal_ started to glow, "Nanoha's not the only one who started on non-lethal spells!"

A ball of ice-blue light started forming at Durandal's tip. Lindy raised the staff, aiming toward the battlefield and narrowed her eyes. Correction numbers started scrolling even faster through her visor, and the calculated firing arc started to flicker onto the HUD. "I suggest you cover your ears, Headmaster! This might be loud!"

The magic built to a crescendo, wisps of blue light leaving trails of icy fog around the contained ball of energy. Lindy shifted her aim a half degree, then took a deep breath. "Arctic Rain! Release!"

* * *

The ball of light shot out across Vale, as bright as the sun and searingly blue-white in color. That did not last, however, because Remnant's interference field was an alien, hostile medium for complicated magical workings. As it arced through the air, kilometers passing by in seconds, it started to expand, dimming slightly and scattering apart. At the peak of its trajectory, the sphere was hundreds of yards wide, thousands and thousands of points of light moving in a cloud.

What fell to Vale's battleworn streets was a torrential freezing rain, empowered by raw mana. The _Wolkenritter_ felt it coming, hunkering down under powerful defensive spells and withstanding the onslaught. Everyone else caught in the rain wasn't so lucky.

The Grimm howled and screeched as their bodies were coated in ice, movements slowing and stopping until they were nothing more than crystalline statues, red eyes glowing with fury. The stronger Grimm survived, trapped in their frozen prisons, but the smaller ones faded away until they simply cracked and shattered, leaving piles of ice behind.

The remaining White Fang soldiers and what few Vale defenders were left in the area found themselves frozen as well, the shell of ice forming around them as restrictive as any binding. The ice weighed them down, but the freezing cold didn't seep into their bodies. The paladin mechs were locked into place as well, mechanical limbs overpowered by clinging ice. All through the district, the fighting slowed to a stop.

Signum called forth flame, melting the angular cage of ice her barrier had left behind. Some distance away, she heard Vita's yell as she broke free with _Graf Eisen,_ and Zafira's howl announced his own emergence. She rose to her feet, turning and surveying the battlefield.

It was as though deepest winter had come to Vale in a heartbeat, a square mile of city covered in an inch thick sheet of ice. Only the hottest fires still had any life left to them at all, reduced to smoldering embers by the icy downpour.

She climbed on top of a trapped paladin, tearing the hatch open and peering inside. The pilot was shivering, white puffs of breath passing through blue lips. She pulled him free, trussing him in a bind and leaving him at the machine's feet.

Signum raised her scroll, sending a voice message to Lindy. "Fire support on target. We are moving to the breach point now."

* * *

Nora really found herself wishing it didn't hurt so much, because she really wanted to cheer as Hayate slowly dropped down toward them. But the hole in her belly, hastily packed with gauze and wrapped with bandages, was the most painful thing she'd ever experienced.

It really was. It was even more painful than the time she tried to make her own pancakes and accidentally used baking soda instead of flour and then drank a cup of vinegar on a dare. To be fair though that hadn't been so much _painful_ as it had just been _really uncomfortable,_ but the fact of the matter was that it left her not wanting to move at all for the rest of the day and this was still _so much worse._

But they were still out in the wilds, and who only knew if there were any Grimm still around and Team CFVY was out of action and Weiss' big sister was unconscious and Jaune and Pyrrha were helping Ren with the wounded and Chrono was running on fumes and-! _No, that's everyone_. So while Hayate was still drifting down toward them, she begged and cajoled Ren into helping her climb back up onto the bullhead. So, when Hayate finally landed, Nora was sitting with her back against the remaining wing's thruster, _Magnhild_ in hand and ready to launch grenades at anything that came in range.

She didn't let the hole in her belly stop her from waving, at least. "Hayate! You didn't tell me that you were _made of explosions!"_

The tiny blonde- _wait, she's a brunette-_ didn't respond except for a wan smile, leaning heavily on her staff once her feet touched the ground. Her six wings- _wings!-_ furled, and then she glowed with bright white light. Nora flinched, shielding her eyes.

When it faded, Hayate's hair was back to its normal brown, and she only had four wings- _she still has wings!-_ sprouting from her back. Reinforce was flitting around her, high pitched voice filled with concern and speaking so quickly Nora couldn't even understand her. It was kind of impressive.

Amy left Chrono's side and ran over to her, even as Hayate slumped to her knees. The mage coughed, and fresh blood spattered the ground. Nora heard Reinforce and Amy talking, saying technical things like _class two teleport_ and _massive systemic damage._

She didn't know exactly what it meant, but she knew it meant Hayate wasn't in good shape. Nora _did_ notice Reinforce mentioning Hayate having a perforated abdominal wound. _Hey, me too!_

For as inane and silly as she acted, Nora wasn't stupid. They were stranded hundreds of miles outside of Vale, and they didn't have CCTS access to call for help.

Nora glumly glanced down at her bandage-wrapped belly, the cloth already stained red. Ren hadn't said it to her, but she knew how people were put together. Bowel wounds were _bad news._

Trying to take her mind off morbid thoughts, Nora checked _Magnhild's_ rotary magazine, then surveyed the blasted landscape again.

* * *

Ruby bit back a cry and tried to keep still when Uncle Qrow picked her up and carried her to the bullhead. Her hands clutched at her ragged cloak, and she sucked in a gasp of air.

Uncle Qrow grimaced. "Sorry ace, there's no easy way to do this."

"I- I know, I know."

"You pulled off a miracle back there, kiddo. You lasted long enough for us to get there. I just wish we'd gotten there a few seconds sooner."

Briar's semblance claws had reduced her back to a torn mess. True to the woman's claim, nothing had stopped them, slicing through _Bardiche's_ barrier jacket as easily as they parted skin and flesh. Her father and Weiss had dressed her wounds as best they could, but all the bandages in the world couldn't help muscles that had been sliced in two. Ruby quite simply couldn't stand anymore.

Everyone else had already been brought on board; Fate, Yang, and Blake were both strapped down onto bedrolls on the deck. Yang was in nearly as bad shape as Ruby was, and all she knew about Blake was that the faunus was covered in burns from Briar and Holika's opening strikes.

As carefully as he could, Uncle Qrow laid her belly down on the last bedroll. The jostling still brought tears to her eyes, and she bit down on her lip to keep from whimpering.

Weiss knelt down next to her, trying to help her get comfortable. Laying with her head turned to one side, Ruby's eyes tracked toward the back of the bullhead's cabin, and the three figures there- four, now that Uncle Qrow was moving to join them.

She'd only ever seen pictures before of Uncle Qrow's sister, Raven. The black-haired woman had removed her Grimm mask, watching with red eyes as her Uncle sat down next to her father across from her.

Next to Raven, eyes hidden by a black blindfold, was the woman that had been haunting her dreams for a decade. Her mother, Summer Rose, sat quietly, her chain-scythes sitting on the bench seat next to her. White petals drifted perpetually through the air, scattered throughout the bullhead's cabin.

No one was talking. Her father had a look on his face that she hadn't seen in years; dark and morose, closed off. Her mother and Raven both looked… _uncomfortable,_ while Uncle Qrow just looked angry, though his expression softened when he glanced back to her. _It's okay,_ he mouthed.

A bald-faced lie, she knew, but she appreciated it regardless. Uncle Qrow was always looking out for her.

A flutter of white had her eyes flicking toward her mother, and Ruby watched her warily. Summer was making her way over toward her, stepping carefully around Yang's unconscious form despite her blindfold. She knelt down next to Ruby, unclasping her cloak and spreading it out over her.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. It-" she cut off with a sigh, then tried again. "This isn't what I wanted. None of it is." She tried to brush Ruby's bangs away from her face.

Ruby flinched back, and even that small motion brought a gasp of pain to her lips.

Summer hesitated, fingers hovering a few inches away. The woman bit her lip, then rose to her feet and returned to her place next to Raven.

The bullhead's engines whined loudly, and the craft lifted off the ground. Despite the shaking, Weiss left her seat and sat on the floor next to Ruby, fumbling for her hand. "You okay?"

"I- Y-yeah, I'll be fine. Shamal got Signum's arm back together with no trouble, right?"

Weiss frowned. "That's not what I was asking and you know it, Ruby."

Ruby chewed on her lip and tried again. "You grabbed Bardiche's pieces, right?"

That question did the trick, and Weiss blinked. "I- what? Why are you worrying about that right now?"

"Weiss, I- hn!" Ruby squeezed hard on Weiss' hand when a particularly bad spot of turbulence shook her around. She had to take a moment to get her breath back after the flare of agony. "I- I used Fate's weapon and I broke him! I have to make sure he gets fixed!"

Her partner shook her head in exasperation, rubbing her face. "Yes, Ruby. I grabbed him, everything I could find. But you didn't ans-"

Ruby cut her off, trying not to let the desperation tinge her tone. "C-could you check on Yang for me? Please?"

Weiss stared at her, then let her breath out in a huff. "...okay. Try to rest, all right?" Weiss reached out and tucked the snow-white cloak a little closer around her, then minced her way across the floor to Yang's side.

Ruby didn't sleep, kept awake by raw pain and racing thoughts.

* * *

Night fell quickly, ushered in by the smoky haze still rising from the blasted landscape. Chrono stood watch atop the crashed bullhead, keeping an eye out for any sign of the Maiden called Yasmine and her hulking partner, or any Grimm that managed to survive Hayate's indiscriminate destruction of the surrounding territory.

 _S2U_ was clasped in his offhand, his right arm swathed in wrappings to cover the electrical burns there. Even hours later, he still felt frazzled, vision a little blurry and his balance off. He was lucky, he knew. His shield spell and faltering barrier jacket had taken most of the bolt before failing, so he was at least still functional. Specialist Schnee was comatose, unresponsive despite Ren and Amy's best efforts.

Sounds of cursing caught his attention, and he glanced down to see Adel struggling to climb up onto the bullhead, one hand holding her collapsed minigun. Her left leg was splinted; it had been broken in the crash.

Chrono set _S2U_ down, kneeling to offer help. She grasped his hand, and he pulled her up onto the wreck's hull. "How's your team?"

She took a moment to catch her breath before answering, sitting down with her leg propped up in front of her. "They'll manage. Yatsuhashi's got a concussion, but it's not bad and his Aura should take care of it. Fox is a tough bastard, so he'll pull through. Velvet's a lucky bunny. Bumps and bruises."

Chrono nodded, scanning the horizon again. "...some rescue. It was a trap the entire time, and your team was the bait."

Adel snorted, punching him in the thigh. The light blow bounced off his reformed barrier jacket; he barely felt it. "Cut the shit, Harlaown. We didn't know the bitch was gunning for us. If you guys hadn't shown up we'd all be dead."

"Still should have been more prepared."

The silence stretched on for a few long moments. Below them, they could hear Nora muttering in restless sleep; she'd gone delirious an hour earlier, and Ren had put her under with a shot from their medical kit.

Adel rubbed her eyes. "How's Yagami doing? If she hadn't- done whatever the hell she did…?"

Hayate was sleeping as well; they'd done the best they could to clean her up, but she needed time to recover. Chrono scratched his jaw. "She'll recover. Hayate is… resilient." To Coco's questioning look, he shook his head. "Classified, Adel. I can't go into details."

"Classified my ass. The hell kind of secrets are you still trying to keep, Harlaown? I saw you _flying_ up there. You were throwing around shit that wouldn't have looked out of place coming from an Atlesian strike cruiser. And the doll girl- Reinforce, you called her." The unison device wasn't bothering to hide, sitting on Hayate's pillow and wiping her meister's forehead with a wet towel.

"You'll get your answers when we get back to Beacon. I'm sorry, I can't say more."

"If we get back to Beacon, you mean."

Chrono pursed his lips. "We've got rations to last a few days. The Headmaster will send out another relief ship once we're out of contact for much longer."

Her reply was glum. "Tell that to Valkyrie and Schnee. Much longer is too long."

"...I know."

* * *

"The hell _happened_ out here? It looks like someone took every speck of Dust in Atlas and set it off all at once!" _And I would know; every speck of dust in Vale wasn't enough for... whatever the hell_ this _was._

Torchwick wasn't pushing the bullhead quite as fast as it could go, but Aria and Lotte had made it fairly clear that they needed to move with _haste._ They'd been flying for hours, and the sun was just touching the horizon when he saw the pall of black smoke coloring the air. Now they were passing over a burned wasteland, once red dirt melted into charred glass by an explosion of inconceivable magnitude.

He spotted something down below, a spot of untouched color in the scorched terrain. It was a perfect circle, maybe twenty meters wide judging by the wrecked bullhead that took up a good portion of the ground. As far as he could tell, this was the epicenter of the explosion; all the hints and signs of force flowed outward from that point, or very close to it.

Aria was leaning over his shoulder, eyes fixed on the circle. "This is it. Bring us down here."

"Ha ha, you're sure about that?" Torchwick brought the bullhead to a hover, but didn't begin their descent. "If you're certain that this is what you're looking for, then you have to know what _caused_ it." He tilted the thrusters, turning the craft slowly and gesturing out with his free hand.

"I do, yes." Aria glanced at him, then nodded down toward the ground. "That there is, in fact, a safe zone in the center tells me that it was a controlled detonation."

Torchwick laughed, and he couldn't keep the nervousness from showing. "A controlled detonation? It's _ten miles wide."_

"Yes, Mr. Torchwick. We're here to pick up survivors."

He glanced down again. In the deepening gloom, he could see tiny figures moving, waving up at his bullhead. Tiny spots of orange lit the ground as Dust flares were lit to mark off a landing zone.

"...okay, then. Survivors." As his eyebrows rose up, he started bringing the craft down. "Sure thing."


	35. Chapter 31

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 31 - Fallout

Chrono shielded his eyes, squinting against the glare of the descending bullhead's spotlights. Still a hundred yards overhead, the tiltjet's engine wash was blowing grit through the air, sand bouncing harmlessly off his barrier jacket

A man's voice boomed from the craft's loudspeaker, dripping with forced cheer. " _Friendies coming down! We know you've been through a bit of a scrap, but please keep your fingers off the trigger!"_

The craft settled to the charred dirt that they'd outlined with emergency flares, thrusters throttling down to an idle purr. The spotlights swung away, and Chrono lowered his hand. Through the canopy of the bullhead's cockpit, he could see the cherry-red glow of a lit cigar, and a black bowler cap-

Chrono's left hand clenched tight around his staff. One of Vale's most notorious criminals; he'd seen pictures of the man, read his dossier and committed to memory everything he could find about him. _Roman Torchwick._ He brought _S2U_ up out of reflex. Behind him, he heard Reinforce exclaim something in excitement. "Sergeant, on your guard," Chrono snapped out.

She started _giggling,_ high pitched and filled with amusement. Chrono turned his head a fraction, shooting her a glance. The little device was covering her mouth, shaking with mirth. "What-"

A hand clamped down over his eyes. Chrono cursed, short-arming _S2U_ and driving the shaft of the staff back. His attacker pressed into him, effortlessly avoiding the strike and sweeping out his leg, flipping him end over end and bringing him down into the dirt. "Guess who!"

In an instant, he was trussed on the ground, legs pinned underneath his assaulter's weight and both arms trapped in an iron grip, _S2U_ spinning on the dirt in front of him. The device may as well have been back on Mid-childa for all the help it was at the moment. More than anything else, though, the _voice_ is what stunned him the most.

Well, the voice and the two soft mounds pressing into the back of his head. "W-what in-"

"Chrono! You haven't _forgotten_ about me, have you? You've always been my favorite!" Crisp Mid-childan words, a happy female voice accented by UAW-97's _British English._ She _tsked,_ securing her hold. "You did this exact thing the last time, I thought you'd have learned better!"

"...Lotte?"

The hand over his eyes vanished, and he was spun about forcefully to find his face hugged into all too _familiar_ cleavage. "You _do_ remember," she crowed, lifting him up and swinging him around. Chrono tried to break free, but he may as well have been fourteen again. The cat woman was having none of it. "Oh, we're gonna have so much _fun_ again! What have you been doing! I haven't seen you since you and Amy got _married!"_

"Lotte, let him go. He _is_ married, as you just so kindly reminded him. This is inappropriate." With a pout, Lotte released him, and he staggered back to his feet.

When he regained his balance, Aria was waiting for him, hands clasped at her waist and smiling demurely. The long-haired familiar gave him a hug, squeezing tight for a moment before letting go. "I'm sorry we took so long, Chrono."

He shook his head in disbelief, but managed to give her a one-armed hug back. "I… why are you here? _How_ are you here?"

When she let go, though, she didn't answer his question, instead grabbing his right arm and lifting it to inspect. "You're injured!" Her hand pulsed light blue. "This is an electrical burn! What happened?"

"I- nevermind me, we've got critically wounded here. I'll keep, really." He put his left hand on her shoulder, turning her toward the row of bedrolls resting in the shade of their crashed bullhead. "Hayate put herself through a class two teleport to get to us-"

"She _what?!"_

Chrono grimaced, ignoring the interruption. "-but she's stable enough for the moment. Specialist Schnee- the white haired woman," he specified, "took a nasty lightning strike seven hours ago. We don't have the ability to treat her. Nora has a gut wound from the same time, and is starting to go into septic shock. We need to get them stable for transport."

Aria nodded, glancing at her sister. Lotte nodded, her playful demeanor vanishing as she hurried over to the injured. "Transport where? We can't teleport them out yet, not through this planet's interference field." Aria's tone was all business now.

"Back to Beacon Academy. Shamal and Yuuno are there, and they have good enough medical facilities. It's about six hours away by-" Chrono cut off, glancing over his shoulder at the new bullhead. "...Aria, why are you travelling with a local criminal?"

"Is that what he is?" Aria smacked the back of his head, frowning. "Priorities, Chrono. Criminal or not, you have wounded and he's _giving us a ride._ Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

The Earth idiom had him frowning again. "...fine." Glancing at the bullhead again, he caught sight of a pink-and-white slip of a girl in the cockpit next to Roman Torchwick. White eyes met his own. "Fine," he reiterated, "but he and I are going to have to _talk."_

* * *

The sudden onset of winter had put a sudden and complete end to the fighting in downtown Vale. Sirens blaring and lights flashing, emergency services rushed into the frozen warzone, escorted by police and academy trainees. Air still warm from the late-evening sun blew across the snow and ice, hastening the thaw.

The White Fang terrorists were broken free of their icy prisons; what number of them survived, at least. The arrival of a quartet of unstoppable warriors had been both timely and _brutal,_ and had shattered any insurgent opposition that rose to meet them. Hundreds of Vale's civilians and defenders both owed their lives to the four.

Rumor spread like wildfire regarding their origins. Veteran huntsman returned from a secret pilgrimage spent perfecting their talents, or perhaps an offshoot branch of the Schnee family with their strange, colorful glyphs that heralded their powerful strikes and impenetrable defenses. That a _faunus_ was counted among their number made the gossip that much more scandalous.

One of them had disappeared during the battle, eyewitnesses saying they'd seen the green-garbed woman take to the air to fly on wings of thought toward the docks district. The other three had converged on the blasted tunnel entrance, putting down what few greater Grimm survived the icefall. The woman in red had somehow expanded her warhammer to monstrous size, and collapsed the tunnel with an inarticulate bellow of fury.

With the way clear, the emergency services and volunteers started digging the trapped out of the rubble. The wounded were rushed to hospitals all over Vale, the same bullheads that had brought the academy students into the fight being used to airlift the injured away. The deceased were laid out in rows; necessity dictated that the dead wait their turn.

 _They would understand,_ was the sad acknowledgment.

Even Beacon itself saw its fair share of wounded; many of the students had been injured in the fighting, and more than few teams were mourning dead of their own. The sterile white hallways of the academy's infirmary were crowded with gurneys and wheelchairs, as what medical staff that was available rushed to and fro in efficient haste.

All of the injured students had been retrieved and brought back to Beacon just after sunset. When two more bullheads, one bearing Beacon's crossed axes and the other unmarked, flew past the academy's airdocks and made for hasty landings on the infirmary's lawn just a few hours before sunrise, those who were still awake took notice.

* * *

"Beacon Control, I repeat, I have _critically injured people_ on board. I need to land this bucket soon or you're gonna be better off sending bodybags instead of stretchers!"

" _Acknowledged, Private Flight Five Seven Seven. Beacon Flight Zero Zero Three is carrying casualties as well. Wait one."_

Torchwick rolled his eyes, muting his microphone and glancing over his shoulder. "They've got us in a holding pattern. How're your kids holding up, lawman?"

"Weak but stable." Harlaown's reply was terse and clipped; the man had been glaring daggers at him and Neo for the entire flight, but Aria's hand on his shoulder had kept him from doing anything rash. ' _Let the man fly, Chrono,'_ she'd said to him. Repeatedly.

 _Thank Dust for small mercies._

The radio squawked again a moment later. " _Private Flight Five Seven Seven, you are cleared for landing in front of the infirmary building. Flare color is yellow, over."_

"Roger that, Beacon Control. Flare color is yellow. Bringing her down."

Amber flames burned bright on the dark grass; a short distance away were matching flares in bright red. Another bullhead, what had to be Beacon Flight 003, was touching down in above the crimson markers.

Torchwick's eyebrows rose, even as his bullhead settled to the grass. The other tiltjet looked like it had been through _hell,_ hull marred and dented by high-velocity impacts. He killed the engines and toggled the button to open the cargo doors, yelling over his shoulder. "We're down!"

Stretcher crews were already running toward both craft, over a dozen pairs of medical technicians. Four of them peeled off toward the other ship while the majority ran toward his own.

Controlled chaos was the theme of the moment, as those who could still walk helped load the badly injured onto the stretchers. One by one, they were carried through the infirmary's doors, doctors already shouting out orders.

There was a tug on his sleeve, and Torchwick glanced over at Neo. Her left eye kept flickering from pink to white, and to reassure her he gave her shoulder a pat. "It'll be okay, squirt. These are the good guys, remember?"

She let out a breath, nodding, but he could see the hesitance in her motions. "It will. Have I led you wrong yet?"

Neo scrunched up her nose and wavered a hand. Torchwick leaned back, shocked. "I'm hurt!"

"Torchwick. Neo." They both looked through the hatch to see Chrono jerking his head toward the doors. "With me, before you two sneak off and disappear. Now."

"You _wound_ me, lawman. I'm here on my honest word, and you doubt me?" Torchwick placed his hat back on his head, tilting it just so, and stood. "Smart of you, really. But no, we're not going to sneak off."

They were the last two off the bullhead. Just as Torchwick's feet landed on the grass, a shriek split the air, making him duck a little and look toward the source.

" _Winter!"_

Weiss Schnee herself was running across the lawn toward her older sister's stretcher, eyes wide with shock and worry. She looked like she'd been through _hell,_ her skirt and blouse stained by mud and soot, hair half free of her ponytail and her signature jacket missing completely. Behind her, Torchwick caught a glimpse of the rest of her team-

The sight actually brought him up short. Compared to the other three, the Heiress looked _fine._ The rest were swathed in red-blotched bandages, bodies bare where their clothes had been cut away to get at their wounds. Even Little Red was a mess, lying prone on her own stretcher and her face crusted with dried blood.

"What the hell _happened_ to these kids?" It was actually a little bothersome to see; sure, he wasn't exactly an upstanding individual, and he'd even crossed blades with Little Red and the Kitty Cat a few times, but they looked like they'd been savaged by someone. _I don't even remotely consider myself a good person, but I don't go out of my way to do_ that _to people._

Beside him, Harlaown actually stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. Torchwick followed his gaze to another stretcher bearing a long-haired blonde. _...that's right, they're supposed to be brother and sister._ With great daring, Torchwick reached out and tapped the blue-haired man on the shoulder. "We'll stick around, lawman."

The glare that Harlaown whirled on him was loaded, distrust warring with concern. Torchwick kept his voice quiet and serious, nodding toward… _Fate, that's her name._ "Family's important, I understand that."

"We'll keep an eye on them, Chrono." A delicate, deceptively strong hand landed on his shoulder, Lotte's voice beside him.

Harlaown threw the grey-haired woman a grateful look and took off at a run. Torchwick watched him go, feeling his lips draw into a thin line. "He's a good man when he's not sitting on that stick of his."

A muted _thap_ caught his attention, a tap against the grass. "His friends would say he's a good man even when he _is_ 'sitting on that stick', Mr. Torchwick."

Torchwick spun, and found himself meeting grey eyes and a shock of white hair, inscrutable behind small tinted glasses. "Forgive my lack of decorum," Beacon's headmaster said, "but I _must_ insist you tell me what a known criminal such as yourself is doing on my campus."

 _Well, this had to happen eventually._ "Just happened to be in the right place at the right time, Headmaster Ozpin. I was giving your secret agent man and his friends a ride home." _I know about this secret,_ was the unspoken comment.

"I am forced to admit that I am-" The headmaster paused for a moment. _Looks like the stress of a long, bad day can even get to him of all people._ "-grateful for your unexpected assistance. Today has been difficult."

"I can imagine." Torchwick was very careful to not let any lightness enter his voice, forced or otherwise. "Believe you me, it was never my intent to make this day _more_ difficult for you."

Ozpin's eyes _narrowed,_ and his hand tightened on his cane. Torchwick was struck by the unique sensation of his heart skipping a beat in his chest. "You are the one who called me to warn me about the White Fang."

Torchwick's forehead prickled with cold sweat. The _intent_ behind the headmaster's gaze almost carried physical weight behind it. _This is the man that Cinder was afraid to catch the direct attention of, and I've gone and earned it myself. Good job, Roman._ "I-" Torchwick paused, glancing over his shoulder toward Vale. Their bullhead had passed over the gutted downtown district on the way to Beacon, and the damage had been blatantly obvious even in the dead of night. "-saw that my warning came too late. As I said, I did _not_ want this to happen."

Ozpin's lips tightened, but his grip on his cane relaxed, ever so slightly. "We will be discussing this in _detail_ later _,_ Mr. Torchwick. If I ask for your presence, you will respond immediately. Am I clear?"

 _And that is the voice of command that even Cinder wishes she had._ "You're the boss around here, Headmaster. I wouldn't think of doing anything else. We'll behave."

"Good. I will be calling on you soon." Ozpin walked away. Torchwick watched him approach a group that was standing off to the side, and when the tallest of them turned to acknowledge the professor, Torchwick almost dropped his cigar.

Cinder had provided him with a list of names and faces from all over Vale that he was to keep careful watch for. ' _If you see any of these individuals, drop what you're doing and contact me immediately. Be circumspect about it,'_ she'd told him.

 _That's Qrow Branwen. He was top of the list._ Looking a little more closely, he recognized Signal's combat instructor as well; while not on the list, anyone with a passing interest in Signal and Beacon knew the name Taiyang Xiao Long-

 _Xiao Long. Blondie's dad._ "Huh." The five spoke quietly, then moved as a group for the infirmary's entrance.

* * *

Beacon's infirmary, like the rest of the academy's structures, was well equipped for comfort as well as usability. As such, there was plenty of space for the medical staff to relax and spend time while still being on site. As such, it was an easy matter to secure a break room in a quiet corner of the building.

 _I don't like this_ was the constantly recurring thought running through Qrow's head as he _escorted_ the rest of STRQ through the hallways. Ozpin was walking in the lead, setting the pace. The old man was moving at a pretty good speed, considering his cane.

Next to him, Taiyang looked like he was holding it together, but only just. The brawler had never been good at hiding his emotions. Summer was just behind Ozpin, wearing the blindfold that completely covered her eyes, but a scattering of white petals still drifted through the air around her. Raven was shadowing Summer just behind and to the side, a pretty standard bodyguard position-

Qrow blinked, tilting his head. He frowned. "Sis."

"What?" She glanced back at him, eyes barely visible through the slits of her mask.

"Take off the fucking mask. We already know who you are, remember?"

He could feel the piqued glare, even if he couldn't quite see it. After a moment though, she did as requested, pulling the Grimm visage off and hanging it from her belt.

Ozpin opened the door, glancing into the room before gesturing them inside. Summer went through first, but stopped just inside the door. "This room isn't empty, Headmaster. Who's in here?"

There was the sharp _click_ of a safety being released. Qrow planted a hand on Raven's shoulder, even as her oodachi's sheath started to spin. He glanced through the door, nodding at the figure inside. "Chill, sis. Lindy's with us."

"She's with you? How many people has Ozpin told?" Raven's voice was low and irritated, but she let go of her blade to follow Summer inside. "No wonder word got out about Autumn."

"I'm sure he has his reasons, Raven." Summer took a seat at the break room's table. "Let's hear them first."

"And I'm sure you two have things to tell us all about as well." Qrow shut the door once Taiyang was through, having to remind himself not to slam it. _I don't like this._

"First things first," Ozpin said, and everyone's eyes swung toward him. "As you… noticed, Summer, there is indeed an unfamiliar face here to some of you. I would like to introduce Lindy Harlaown."

"Harlaown?" Taiyang looked at her more closely, and his expression shifted away from withdrawn anger for the first time in hours. "Fate helped save our hides from the Grimm at Signal. I'm sorry she got hurt."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long. I am sorry about your daughters as well, but our medic says that they will be fine with time and treatment."

"Well don't you sound like you're speaking right out of a textbook." Raven snorted, crossing her arms.

"Quite." Lindy was unperturbed by the jab, spinning her device's card between her fingers. "Before we continue, though; Durandal. Frozenwall."

The card flashed. " _Yes, boss. Countermeasures active."_ A teal pulse flooded the room, and the temperature dropped a dozen degrees.

She nodded in satisfaction, looking to Ozpin. "I just received an update from Lieutenant Commander Lockheed. Fall is nowhere to be found, so she's widening her search. I've authorized Section Two-Four to work with her. We'll find her."

"We can only wait, then." Ozpin replied.

Before the three uninformed could ask questions, Lindy set the card down and stood. "My full name and rank is Admiral Lindy Harlaown, Time Space Administrative Bureau Navy."

Qrow could see the guarded confusion breaking out on their faces, and he shook his head. "She's an alien. They're actual aliens from other planets. I'm not drunk, it's true, so please just do us all a favor and have your conniption fits later."

Raven and Taiyang both squinted at Lindy, then looked at Ozpin. Summer lifted her blindfold a crack, silver light pouring forth as she actually peered at the admiral. "No shit," the old leader of STRQ said.

Qrow tilted his head a fraction.

"What?" Summer looked at him, shrugging.

"When the hell did you become a potty mouth?"

"Around year three of having no one to talk to but your bitch of a sister."

"Fuck you."

"Fist yourself." There was no heat in the short exchange at all. The two women could have been discussing the weather.

"Indeed." Ozpin folded his hands on the table, ignoring the foul language being bandied about. "It is through the actions and assistance of the Admiral and her crew leading up to this point that the recent assaults on Vale and Signal were stymied, and that loss of life was kept to a minimum. And to answer your unspoken question, Raven; yes. The Admiral and her people are aware of the truth behind the Maidens, so we all may speak freely."

"...the what? The truth behind the _Maidens?"_ Taiyang looked around at them all again. "You mean the old story about the Four Seasons? Are you telling me that they're _real?"_

Summer grimaced, heaving a sigh. "Here we go."

Taiyang's head turned sharply, and angry violet eyes glared at the blindfolded woman. "You- that's why you faked your death? Because you're one of those Maidens?"

"Tai, settle down-"

"Don't you _settle down_ me! How fucking long did we know each other, Summer? Since we were seventeen! That was _ten years_ that you hid this from us, and then you just decide to _disappear_ one day!"

"It's not that ea-"

"YOU LET US THINK YOU WERE DEAD!" Taiyang surged to his feet, chair clattering to the floor, and slammed his hands down on the table hard enough to dent it. "Forget about me, what about Ruby and Yang! How could- how could you do that to us, to _them_ after all that ti-"

Summer jumped to her feet as well, tearing off her blindfold to glare at him with glowing eyes. "Because I wasn't a fucking Maiden before then, Tai! Tell me how to hide _this,_ because I sure as hell never figured it out!" Her eyes flared bright winglike auras of light with her anger, and Qrow had to squint against the sudden glare for a moment. "You think I wanted to leave? You think it didn't tear me to pieces inside to abandon you three?"

"Ladies, gentlemen. May I remind you all that we are not enemies here?" Ozpin's voice cut through the air, quiet but sharp. "Let them speak, Taiyang. Save your judgment until we know all the facts."

 _Easier said than done, Oz. But it's what I'm trying to do._ Qrow glanced around the room in the silence that followed the headmaster's statement. Taiyang clenched his teeth, righting his chair and dropping back down into it with a grunt. Summer sat back down as well, rubbing her eyes. The glow of the Winter Mantle dimmed but didn't fade away, her eyes still outlined by flaring wings of white power.

Raven finally broke the silence. "It was my call."

"Explain, please." Ozpin pushed his glasses up his nose. "I would also like to know why you… distanced yourself from us after you told us the previous maiden was dead."

"For the same reason that you keep the number of people in on _any_ secret small, Ozpin. You taught me that, before you assigned me to be Ivory's protector." Raven spared Taiyang a glance; it was almost apologetic.

Ozpin said nothing, inclining his head and waiting for her to continue. Raven scowled, fisting her hands and drumming on the table. "Somehow they found out. We were travelling between villages and got ambushed. Ivory took a bad hit before I could react, but they didn't try to finish her off. They went after me. I grabbed her and made a Pathway."

 _Pathway._ Raven's word for her semblance, opening a passage between two points. Qrow and Taiyang exchanged a glance.

"They kept chasing us down. Too many paths and I start to tire, you know that, and Ivory wasn't going to make it much longer. I made the choice to call for help, because-" She paused and glanced at Summer. "Because secrecy didn't mean anything if she was going to die anyways. So I sent out a distress call on my scroll, to anyone in range."

"I was out on Grimm hunt for the locals when I got the call from an anonymous sender. I was close enough to respond." Summer sighed, rubbing her temple. "It was pure coincidence that I was there at all; you know the life of a huntress, going where the deeds need done and the pay's enough.

"It was… bad," she continued. "Grimm everywhere, and a few people fighting _with_ them. Directing them. I didn't even know it was Raven that I'd showed up to save until her Aura collapsed and she took a wound herself. I put myself in the way and pushed as much power as I could into my Storm. Didn't do much, there were just too many. I was about to- they almost had me, and then I just felt this surge of… power, like ice in my veins."

"That was when Ivory died from her wounds," Raven cut in. "I can only assume that… the image of the white-cloaked huntress that had showed up to save her was the last thing in Ivory's mind at that moment. But regardless of _why_ she was thinking about her, Summer ended up inheriting the Mantle."

"I don't remember… exactly what happened after that, but when I came back to my senses, the Grimm were all gone and the _people_ that had been working with them… well." Summer looked at Qrow and Taiyang, shrugging. "You saw what my Semblance is like when it's empowered."

Qrow winced, sharing another glance with Taiyang. "They probably looked like you put them through a blender."

"Pretty much! Couldn't have happened to nicer people, you know?" The forced cheer drained away from Summer's voice, and she looked crestfallen. "...but seriously. What kind of sick bastards would hunt down a little girl? Ivory was what, ten?"

"She'd just turned eleven. We'd had a little birthday party the day before, just the two of us."

The two fell quiet, reminiscing.

After a moment, Ozpin cleared his throat. "...and you contacted me soon after to inform me of Ivory's death, but you did not tell me about Summer."

Raven nodded. "You brought me into your conspiracy to be the Winter Maiden's protector, and despite Ivory's death I still had a Winter Maiden to protect. You gave me this job, and you told me to do this job to the utmost of my ability, in whatever manner I determined best."

Qrow sat up in his chair. "...so you told Ozpin that she died and that you were done with it all…"

"Because if you didn't know the truth of the situation, you couldn't inadvertently betray me to our enemies. I'm not trying to point fingers, but they found out about Ivory _somehow,_ and it wasn't _my_ fault."

* * *

She'd managed to rest a little in the bullhead during the flight back to Beacon. Calling it sleep would have been a gross overstatement, but between the steady drone of the bullhead's engines and the lethargic numbness brought on by painkillers, Ruby had fallen into a time-eating stupor, only realizing how much time had passed when she was moved onto a gurney and carried into the academy's infirmary. People she'd only seen in passing spoke in clipped tones over her, but then she saw Shamal's kind smile and heard the knight's voice telling her she'd be okay.

She tried to ask about her team, but the healer had gently shushed her and reassured her they'd all be fine. A green-glowing hand rested on her brow, and she she'd slipped into unconsciousness.

When Ruby's eyes fluttered open again, she was lying prone on a hospital bed, a quiet chorus of beeps and tones suffusing the air around her. Her eyes widened a little more, and she did her best to glance around.

Beacon's infirmary sported several sizes of care rooms, designed to house entire teams of students at a time in case of multiple injured members or so that the healthy could stay near their teammates during bad times. Most of the rooms were made to hold a single team of four, but a select number could hold two or three teams at once. She could see she was in the infirmary's largest recovery room.

In the bed next to her she could see Yang's bruised face, what was left of her shorn hair haphazardly covering the pillow. She couldn't see the next bed over from her angle, but a small sign over it showed Blake's emblem. Ruby knew that it was common practice to put patients' emblems on display over their beds for easy identification. Her own scattering petals would be over her own bed.

"You're awake!" Cool hands grasped hers, and Ruby's eyes found Weiss' relieved face. "Are you feeling okay? Is there anything I can get you?"

"H-" Her voice cracked, and Ruby swallowed before trying again. "How's everyone else..?"

"Let me get you some water, there's a pitcher right here." Weiss disappeared from view for a moment, and there was the clinking of ice in a glass. "Shamal said no one's in any danger, but she and Yuuno are exhausted from dealing with so many injuries. We have to wait in line. Blake got burned pretty badly by that… slimy lizard woman, and Yang-"

"Yang tried to fi-" A cough racked her, and she gasped from the sensation of fire pulling at her back.

"Shhh, don't talk. Here, have a drink. Small sips." Weiss was in front of her again, angling a straw into Ruby's lips.

The water was ice cold and pure, quite possibly the most delicious thing Ruby had ever tasted. She moaned in complaint when Weiss pulled the straw away, but her partner was adamant. "Little sips, I said. And yes, Yang fought that horrible Briar woman. She's got to be a sadist, the way she was… _playing_ with you two. But at the same time I'm glad, because she… wasted so much time, that-"

"-that my _mom_ showed up." Ruby couldn't keep the bitterness out of her whisper.

Weiss stared at her for a moment, then lightly tapped her on the forehead. "That _you_ were able to activate Bardiche and save us all. You're amazing, Ruby, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The compliment brought a tiny smile to her, even if it made her cheeks heat up a little. Weiss let her sip some more water, and a few moments passed in silence. "Wait. you said they were dealing with so many injuries? We're in the big room, who else is here? Is Fate?"

A pinched look came over Weiss' face, and she nodded. "A lot happened. JNPR got sent out with Winter and Chrono and Amy after we did, to rescue CFVY from a huge Grimm attack, and it turned out to be a trap just like Patch was for us. They're all okay, though. And while we were all gone the White Fang attacked Vale in force. They're still pulling people out of the rubble downtown, the news says the death toll is…"

"Bad?"

"In the thousands. They used the old tunnels from the abandoned offshoot city called Mountain Glenn, and rigged a bunch of bombs to blow a path into downtown for their soldiers and the Grimm behind them. They were using stolen Atlesian Paladins and Dust explosives… it was really bad."

The words were like a punch in the gut. Ruby had grown up on Patch, but Vale and Beacon had rapidly turned into a second home for her. "How did they stop it?"

Weiss chewed her lip for a moment. "Beacon sent out all the students who were willing to volunteer to help supplement the city's defense forces. A lot of people from Haven and Shade joined in as well, but the White Fang was already entrenched and pushing hard. So the _Wolkenritter_ deployed in full force to take on the White Fang's front line, and then once they pushed them back far enough Lindy froze that entire downtown district with a bombardment spell. There's video footage all over the CCTS network."

"So I guess we aren't gonna be able to hide it anymore?"

"Once the rumor mill settles down and people realize the easy answers aren't the right ones, no. My father's probably going to have to put out a press release." Weiss pulled out her scroll, expanding the screen and loading a video. Grainy footage showed clips of the _Wolkenritter_ in full battle attire, Belkan magic circles forming underneath them constantly as they pitted their magic against the White Fang's stolen technology. _SECRET SCHNEE SOLDIERS COME TO VALE'S AID! NEVER BEFORE SEEN GLYPHS USED IN THE OPEN_ the headline read.

"Oh geez." Ruby cringed, a disbelieving chuckle working its way out of her chest. "You're kidding me. The tabloids are saying they're _Schnees?_ What about Zafira?"

"Like I said, my father's going to have a stroke over this. I can already hear him screaming." Weiss' expression was anything but amused.

The door opening caught their attention, and Ruby was able to turn her head enough to see Shamal and Yuuno pushing Nora into the room on a gurney. The pint-sized hammerette was asleep, an IV-line feeding into her arm and her stomach swathed in bandages. Behind them, the rest of JNPR filed in; Jaune and Pyrrha both looked bruised but okay, while Ren was hardly even scratched. "Ruby," Shamal smiled through her weariness, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm-" She paused. "I guess I'm not _okay,_ but I'm okay enough? What happened to Nora?"

Yuuno grimaced before he answered. "She took a nasty gut wound, but Shamal and I were able to heal it well enough. We need to keep an eye on her in case of a secondary infection, but she should be fine." He looked even more tired than Shamal did, and the bandages on his arms didn't help.

They slid Nora's gurney into place along a wall, out of view. Ruby could hear them bustling along, doing doctory-things. "How many people are in here?"

Weiss answered her. "Well, we're in here, and so is JNPR even though Nora's the only one who got really hurt. Fate's along the other wall with Nanoha, but Nanoha's just dealing with some scrapes and bruises and… Linker Core Exhaustion, I think is the technical term? Hayate's next to them. Shamal had just shooed Reinforce out to let her rest right before you woke up." The heiress glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip again. "Winter's here too, and Shamal says she's not in any danger, but…"

"But you're worried." Ruby slid a hand up to squeeze Weiss' fingers. "Go see your sister, okay? I'll be fine."

For a moment Weiss just looked at her, but then her slim shoulders sagged. Weiss leaned down to give her a quick hug, but paused, glancing at the wrappings all over Ruby's torso. She huffed in irritation, then settled for brushing Ruby's hair back from her face. "Thank you, Ruby. I'll be back soon."

 _She was smiling,_ Ruby thought as Weiss walked away. _She was smiling and it was totally because I'm completely red in the face._ It was okay, though. The happy thoughts would keep her company while she waited.

* * *

"Come on, dude. It's my shoulder, not my leg. I can walk."

"Nurse said to wheel you to Trauma Rec One. I'm not gonna get on Triple B's bad side, are you?" Sun's voice was as bright as his namesake as he maneuvered Neptune's wheelchair through the infirmary's halls, deftly avoiding knots of student and med techs.

Neptune winced; Big Bertha Brown, as she was known, was a giant of a woman, nearly the size of Yatsuhashi Daichi and as ornery as an ursa. "Good point."

As if invoked by her name, they heard the massive woman shouting, a few halls back the way they came. "Mr. _Winchester,_ don't you walk away from me! Get back here this _instant!"_

"Leave off, I'll rest when my shift is over!" Echoed back the disgruntled reply. Neptune and Sun both glanced back to see Cardin's armored hulk disappearing into another room, pulling a serving cart behind him. Sun shook his head, pushing Neptune around a corner. "I can't believe that stubborn bastard is still moving."

"I guess the dude still feels like he's got something to prove. Here we are!" Sun knocked lightly on the door, announcing their presence. "Team SSSN here to brighten your day- _who the crap let the wolf in here?!"_

Neptune found himself face to face with the bared teeth of a gigantic blue-furred wolf. He could feel the beast's low, restrained growl reverberating in his gut, and he leaned back as far as he could. "W-whoa whoa whoa!"

Arf's testy voice snapped out from within the room, quiet despite her obvious frustration. "Zafira, chill out. It's Sun and Neptune, they're not going to hurt anyone." The wolf glared over its shoulder, then gave them one last look before padding away to lay down at the foot of Hayate's bed.

Sun tentatively pushed Neptune into the room, the both of them keeping an eye on the wolf. Neptune scratched at his shoulder, trying to get an itch without prodding the bandaged gunshot wound too much. "That's gonna get explained too, right? Signum said we'd be, uh, getting some answers."

"Yeah, yeah. You two will get debriefed by Chrono later." Arf still sounded testy, sitting at Fate's bedside. The blonde was slumbering peacefully, a small monitor next to the bed displaying her vitals.

"Debriefed? I wear boxers!" Sun winked at the faunus girl, getting a quiet snort of amusement from her.

Neptune glanced up at him and shook his head in exasperation, and was just in time to catch the amusement drain from his team leader's face. He followed Sun's gaze to the far side of the room, where he saw Team RWBY's symbols on display. Three of the four beds were occupied; only Weiss was on her feet. "Go, man."

Sun nodded and hurried over, exchanging quiet words with the Schnee heiress. Neptune eased out of his wheelchair, giving the thing a maligned glare before walking over to sit next to Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Hey, Neptune." Jaune kept his voice quiet; Pyrrha's head was pillowed on his shoulder, and her eyes were closed. JNPR's leader looked both elated and anxious, supporting her with one arm, and he was keeping very still. Which was perfectly understandable, considering _Pyrrha._ "Things got pretty bad around here, I guess."

"Yeah, you guys missed out on some craziness," Neptune glanced around the room, "but it looks like you all had your own problems."

"You could say that." Jaune held up his free hand, wincing. "I don't think I'm allowed to talk about it. Arf said Chrono's gonna be talking to you?"

"I guess so." Neptune pursed his lips, lowering his voice even more. "...the refugees. You guys have been working real close with them for a while now."

"Yeah?"

"They're not normal refugees, are they? I saw Signum and Vita up close during the battle, they weren't-" He paused, searching for the words. "Dust doesn't _do_ that kind of stuff, and Semblances only go so far. And Zafira's a- a _wolf_ now?"

"I said we can't talk about it, Neptune. Wait for Chrono."

* * *

"C'mon Harlaown! You've been trying to keep me in the dark since we flew back. I think I deserve a couple answers!" The wheelchair squeaked across the ground as Coco pushed herself to keep up with his urgent stride.

The jacketed man sighed, stopping at the door to Trauma Rec One and turning to look down at her. "Coco, I said you'll get answers. I'm not lying."

"Then stop giving me the run around! You'll notice I'm not exactly in the shape to keep up!" Coco lifted her splinted leg off the rest, gesturing at it.

"Do you really want me to tell you now? Wouldn't you rather wait for the rest of your team to be around to hear it too?"

Coco scowled, crossing her arms. "Low blow, Harlaown."

"You're not the only team that's going to get answers. I'd rather only have to do it once." Chrono checked his scroll, muttering under his breath for a moment. "Keep your scroll on you, and as soon as CFVY's all awake, I'll get everyone together. Until then I have things I need to do." He knocked on the door they were next to, cracking it open. "Reinforce. With me."

A moment later the white-haired woman joined them, tugging her own jacket into place and shutting the door behind her. The two walked off without a word, leaving Coco alone in the hallway.

She sat there and stewed for a long moment, before footsteps and the squeaky wheels of a pushcart caught her attention. She spun her chair, looking up. "Hey, Winchester- what the hell happened to you?"

"Same thing that happened to everyone else," Cardin replied, face set in a grimace. "Get the door for me, will ya?"

* * *

Jaune glanced up as the door opened again. "Did you forget some-" He cut off, confused. A trolley was edged into the room, one of the rear wheels catching on the door frame.

There was a quiet curse, and the cart jerked to the side with a mild clatter before rolling forward. Even lacking his armor and only wearing a tanktop and pants, Cardin's frame filled the doorway as he maneuvered the cart inside. "Hey, assholes." His voice held little of the usual scorn, low and bland. "I've got food from the kitchen for everyone. Hope some of you are in the condition to serve yourselves, though, or you're gonna be waiting a while."

Pyrrha had woken from the noise, straightening in her seat and rubbing her eyes. It left Jaune free to stand, but when he got a clear view of the brutish student he stopped. "Cardin! What-"

Cardin waved it off with a disinterested gesture. "Got shot by one of those paladins covering my team, they were getting a bunch of kids out of a crashed bus." His left arm ended at the elbow, wrapped in tight bandages, but he only paid it enough mind to be irritated at the disability. "You guys gonna eat or what?"

Jaune hurried over, pulling the cart to the center of the room. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I… thanks. But are you sure you should be walking around like that?"

"Shut it, Jauney boy. You're as bad as Triple B." Cardin snorted, shaking his head. "My feet work fine and they're shorthanded as it is. Might as well lend the one I have left."

The room had gone silent enough to hear a pin drop. Then Arf barked a rough laugh, and from under Hayate's bed they could hear Zafira's amused rumble. Uneasy laughter filled the room, the humor helping to dispel the gloomy atmosphere. Arf made her way over and clapped Cardin on his good shoulder, grinning toothily. "Takes guts to keep your spirits up when this kind of thing happens. Let us know if you need anything, kay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Cardin brushed her off, but not too rudely. "Kitchen said I can leave the cart here. Ping the desk when you're done and someone'll fetch it." Cardin left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Jaune stood there for a moment before giving his head a shake and removing the lid from the cart. "...okay. We, uh, we got soup and sandwiches, looks like. Who's hungry?"

* * *

"Admiral, ma'am. You wanted to see us?"

"Thank you for coming, Captain, Sergeant. Make yourselves comfortable."

Chrono and Reinforce saluted as soon as they'd shut and locked the door. He took a quick glance around the room after Lindy returned the salute. Ozpin was sitting at the room's table, along with Qrow and three people he didn't recognize. A blonde man about Qrow's age and two women-

Chrono blinked, lowering his hand. The one on the left had long, voluminous black hair, and when she turned red eyes on him he could see the resemblance between her and Qrow. More importantly though, she looked like Yang Xiao Long gone excessively goth. "You would be Raven Branwen." His eyes tracked to the other woman; black hair tinged red at the tips, a blindfold over her eyes and a white cloak thrown back over her shoulder- "...and you would be Summer Rose, otherwise known as Supermom. Date of Death year PGW Seventy-One."

The smaller woman smiled in his direction, but it was a strained one. "Super is debatable."

"You look rather alive for a dead woman."

Summer gave off a hollow sounding chuckle. "I just need to figure out how to bottle and sell it and I'll make millions!"

Lindy cleared her throat, glancing at Ozpin. The headmaster nodded to her. "Summer, Raven, Taiyang. I would like to introduce you to my son, Captain Chrono Harlaown, and Sergeant Reinforce Zwei Yagami. TSAB Navy and Ground Forces, respectively. Sergeant, you may assume your natural form."

"Ma'am!" Reinforce flashed white, reverting to her normal foot-tall size, and hovered at Chrono's shoulder. "Pleasure to meet you all!"

Raven and Taiyang's eyes widened, but Summer actually straightened in her chair, looking alarmed. "Where'd she go- oh, there she is. That's… interesting."

Reinforce let out a small exclamation, and turned to grab the white rose petal that had just bumped into her. "What's this! Is this your semblance? Neat!"

"Sergeant," Lindy gently admonished. "I need you to perform a _non-invasive_ examination of Ms. Rose."

That made Chrono raise his eyebrows. "Ma'am? Is there something we should be aware of?"

"Ms. Rose is the Maiden of Winter, Captain."

Chrono glanced at Summer, then at Raven. It all _clicked_ in an instant. "You were the assigned guardian for the previous maiden. Information control."

Lindy let a small, proud smile show, but she said nothing. Qrow snorted and leaned back in his chair. "We did say the guy's sharp."

Reinforce, meanwhile, had flitted over to hover in front of Summer, still holding onto the errant rose petal. "Blindfold off, please!"

"If you insist." Summer tugged the strip of heavy cloth free, and the sharp glow of her eyes filled the room again.

Reinforce let out a squeal of excitement, already bringing up a holowindow. The _Tome of the Azure Sky_ hovered next to her, pages flipping of their own accord. "Amazing! She's expressing the same overflow release that Amber displayed when I unisoned with her!" The little device drifted forward, passing a hand through one of the projections of light. Her holowindow scrolled with additional data, and she hummed happily to herself as she worked.

Summer did her best to keep still, but she still directed a question at Lindy. "You weren't kidding about one of your people being a little odd. You said she's an artificial person?"

"Yup!" Reinforce answered for Lindy, as cheerful as ever. "Okay, go ahead and turn this off please!"

"Turn what off?"

"Your eye-glow!"

"I can't."

Reinforce stopped halfway through a flip, slowly pivoting around to look at Summer upside down. "Excuse me? You _can't?"_

Summer shook her head. "I've been stuck with this for ten years. It's part of the reason we went into hiding; there's no way to conceal it permanently. Even the blindfold is a half-measure, the glow leaks out around the edges if you look close enough."

"Huh. I can't know more without doing a closer scan, and Lindy told me to keep things non-invasive. But if I had to guess there's something else at work, feeding more power into you and forcing the overflow to stay open. I'll have to think on it!"

"Son of a _bitch."_ Qrow sat upright in his chair, staring at Ozpin. "It's her eyes, isn't it?"

Ozpin said nothing, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What about my eyes?" Summer regarded the headmaster and her old teammate, perking an eyebrow.

"They're _silver,_ Summer. Ruby got 'em from you."

"...yeah? And Yang got hers from Tai." Summer rubbed the back of her head, giving it a shake. "I'm not following, Qrow."

"There is a _legend,"_ Ozpin said, resting his elbows on the table, "of Silver-Eyed Warriors, capable of laying the mightiest Grimm low with naught but a glare. Given that the Maidens of the Seasons are real, it is not so hard to believe that other legends carry truth as well, is it?"

Lindy glanced at Chrono, giving a slow blink. He nodded fractionally, saying nothing. _Better let this one ride itself out._

Summer stared at the headmaster. Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and any traces of humor that had been left in it were gone. "...'you have silver eyes'. That's what you said to me the day you accepted me into Beacon. I _failed_ the entrance exam, and you still took me in. Because of a _legend?"_

"Ms. Rose, I assure you there is more to it than-"

"You gave me a _free ride,_ and I was never smart enough to question it! Dust, I flunked out of _combat school,_ and you handed me a scholarship! How deep do your games _go,_ Ozpin?" She took a breath, trembling. "And now my _daughters_ are in this hospital, nearly dead to a madwoman, because you did the same thing with Ruby?! She's _fifteen years old!"_

"Shut the fuck up, Summer!" Taiyang was on his feet, glaring at her. "Ruby is doing _exactly_ what she wanted to do with her life, and she did it because of how much your memory meant to her!"

Summer's voice rose to a shout, and the room grew noticeably colder, white fog billowing from her mouth along with her words. "I didn't want _this_ for her! She was supposed to be safe! Not risking her life before she even leaves her childhood behind!"

Taiyang shook his head. "You don't get to make that decision, Summer. The reason doesn't matter; you _left."_

The woman choked on her retort, gaping at him. Taiyang sat back down, visibly drained and shaking his head again. "Ruby and Yang both had to grow up way too fast because you were gone. Part of that was my fault, I admit it. But I'm proud of them, whatever they decide to do."

"If I may continue _without_ being interrupted?" Ozpin waited a moment, folding his hands. "Ms. Rose, you are correct that I disregarded the entrance exam results to grant you entrance to Beacon. But tell me, which member of what became Team STRQ became leader?"

"Me. I always wondered why-"

"I am not _finished,_ Ms. Rose." Ozpin stared at her until she fell silent. "And which team led their class in ranking for both academics and combat prowess for all four years of their attendance at Beacon Academy?"

"...Team STRQ."

"Indeed. And who, again, was the leader of Team STRQ? The individual that formulated the tactics that brought your team to victory time and time again?"

This time she was silent for even longer before answering. "...me."

"Quite. And was Team STRQ ever given an unfair advantage over the other teams during your studies? Were you ever provided a… cheat sheet, for the exams? Were the weaknesses of other students whispered in your ear in the dead of night?"

Summer sighed, looking away. "No."

"I would be surprised if you had said yes, because I most certainly do not recall providing you with any advantages." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, staring at her until she met his gaze again. "You are by _no means unique_ in this situation, Ms. Rose. You are not the first student who I have allowed into Beacon against the exams' recommendations, and you will not be the last. I have been wrong before, but I was not wrong with you."

Summer set her jaw. "And what about Ruby?"

"She wanted to be a Huntress. All I did was make the judgment that she was ready to begin her studies." Ozpin was unperturbed by her stare. "Remnant needs heroes, Ms. Rose. I will not be the one to stand in the way of those who wish to take up such a mantle, and I will do everything in my power to prepare them. To do less would be unthinkable."

* * *

Emerald sagged to the floor, relinquishing her death-grip on the toilet's porcelain bowl. The sour smell of bile assaulted her nose, and her hand fumbled for the flush handle. Outside, the wail of sirens continued unabated, yet another ambulance speeding off.

The sound of sirens had always been a cause for fear in Emerald's mind. Screaming alarms meant that she'd been caught, she'd been found, she needed to get away. For most of Emerald's life, sirens meant nothing but trouble.

Now, though, the sound was making her _sick._ Their hideout had been close enough to the breach point that the explosion had collapsed half the building above them, and from the moment her hearing returned all she'd been able to hear were the sounds of pitched battle. Explosions, gunfire, and screams.

 _Dust, the screams._ Even now, in the early hours before sunrise, she could still hear distant cries for help from people trapped in the rubble. The strident sirens of the emergency vehicles were the heralds of suffering.

Staggering to her feet, she twisted the tap above the sink and tried to rinse the taste from her mouth. She splashed more water over her face, giving her head a shake and trying to avoid looking in the mirror.

It didn't help. She caught her reflection out of the corner of her eye, and it stared back at her accusingly. _You helped make this happen,_ it seemed to say.

"I can't do this anymore," she muttered.

"What was that?" Mercury said from the other room.

Emerald _flinched,_ glancing over her shoulder. "I said we can't stay here anymore. Check and see if the ice melted so we can get out of here."

"Hell no, I'm not going out there. Yagami Red might still be around with her _giant hammer!"_

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Did you develop a _phobia_ because of her?"

"She used it to _collapse the breach tunnel!_ The head was like, twenty feet wide! I don't even know how she swung it! Besides, there's nothing out there but huntsmen, frozen Grimm, and Fangsicles." There was a pause. "That was a freaking crazy storm," he mused. "I wonder how they pulled it off."

Emerald sighed and shook her head. "Back through the sewers, then? I really don't want to stay in this building much longer, I keep feeling like the ceiling's going to give." The structure used to be a brick-sided commercial office, two stories tall, containing a law firm on the first floor and a tax attorney on the second. Roman Torchwick had secured the basement as a safehouse months ago. Now, though, it was a pile of bricks and rubble at ground level, the stairwell barely clear enough to squeeze through one at a time.

Mercury poked his head around the doorframe, casting an eye up at the cracked ceiling. "Might be a good idea after all. You done barfing your guts out? Because I'm not carrying you."

She swallowed and nodded. "Lead the way."

Mercury opened the security door into the tunnels, shining a flashlight into the depths. "We need to move fast then. Got to have the next safehouse ready when Cinder contacts us."

"Do you really think she's going to? She didn't warn us about the attack going off early." _That really was too close. Another building closer and we'd be dead._

The assassin just shrugged, moving into the tunnel. "Not like she knew where we'd be hiding. Make sure you're ready for the next stage in her plan."

 _The plan._ Emerald's mouth went dry. "But we're compromised! How are we supposed to even get _into_ the Coliseum, let alone be part of the matches?"

"Huh. Yeah, that's a good point. I guess we're useless, unless Cinder figures out some other way to do it." Mercury took a turn at an intersection, and suddenly the illumination from his flashlight spun, lighting up strips of the sewer walls with dizzying speed. "Whoops! Shit, dropped my light."

Emerald heard glass shatter, and she stopped at the intersection. The tunnel was pitch black; she couldn't even see her hand in front of her. "...Merc, did you break your fucking flashlight?" She fumbled for her own, the head catching on her belt. "Hold on, I- there!" The light clicked on at a press of her thumb, and she scanned the corridor.

Nothing.

"...Mercury?"

* * *

The echoing report of a gunshot made him jump to his feet, hands grabbing the sewer wall for balance. A second _boom_ followed the first, then the higher-pitched cracks of a smaller caliber weapon.

The sounds faded after a few moments, the sewer returning to stillness. Scratching his beard, he inched forward through the pitch-black tunnel, carefully stepping around debris scattered across the ground.

Footsteps, closing rapidly. He jumped, sinking his claws into the ceiling of the tunnel and flattening his body against the curve. The bouncing strobe of a flashlight rounded the corner ahead, and he had to squint against the glare.

The grey-haired boy ran right underneath him, oblivious to his presence.

He waited until even his hearing couldn't pick up the boy's footsteps, then dropped down to the ground and kept going. Scratching irritably at his beard, he backtraced the kid's steps to an intersection in the sewers.

The scent of blood was thick in the air. He heard a weak, desperate gasp for air, thick and wet.

Cautiously, he hit the switch on his lantern, flooding the area with harsh blue-white light. Slumped against the wall, next to a stretch that was pitted and shattered by strikes and gunfire, was the other kid, the green-haired girl. Red dripped from her mouth, and her chest was a bloody mess. Her head rolled to the side, and pain-glazed eyes struggled to focus on him.

He shook his head. "Never expected to see _you_ here, of all people. Irony's a real bitch, isn't it."

There was no flicker of recognition in her addled gaze, not that he'd expected one. A beard and a shaved head did wonders, Tukson thought, as he knelt down and scooped the dying girl up in his arms. "Plenty of people who'll want answers out of you, girl. You're not allowed to die yet."

* * *

Cinder _hurt,_ in a way she hadn't felt for years; even the drumming Mercury had given her a few days previously didn't compare to how she felt now. Her entire side from armpit to knee was bruised and swollen, and she could feel cracked ribs complaining with every breath she took.

The trenchcoated woman's attack had literally come from nowhere, a hole of light-consuming blackness tearing open in the air next to her and _blasting_ her with raw energy. It had chewed through what was left of her newly-strengthened Aura, and for a moment she'd blacked out, plummeting from the air in an uncontrolled fall. Cinder had regained her senses just before impacting the side of a building, and had twisted enough to protect her head. She'd still hit hard enough to go through the wood and plaster facade, and when she'd staggered to her feet and stared woozily out the hole she'd made, she could see the spot of flaring purple light that marked the woman's approach.

The only thing that had saved her was the freak freeze that had blown through downtown Vale, swamping the district in inches of ice. Her pursuer had been forced to defend herself from the blast, calling up another of those glyph-like barriers, and Cinder had taken the chance to run scramble for a sewer grate and slide inside. The guttering heat of the Maiden's power was more than enough to keep her from being chilled by the freezing rain, and the icy precipitation covered her tracks splendidly.

She rested on her side in one of Torchwick's favored hideouts, silk-wrapped cushions supporting her bruised frame as she slowly tapped out a report and waited for her Aura to heal her wounds. The virus still gave her unfettered access to the CCTS network, and she was pulling every scrap of video she could find about Vale's surprise defenders and adding it to the file. Faces and names, the _supposed_ refugees at Beacon. The four _not-students_ that had turned out to help beat back the White Fang.

 _This is unprecedented, and it is not something I could have fully taken into account._ There were twelve refugees that had been attending Beacon proper, and she could only assume _all_ of them had the same abilities. There had been two more defending Amber's body in the vault underneath the tower. _How many more are there?_ She had to fight against wave after wave of bone-deep weariness to keep working.

The fact was, plain and simply, that Cinder had no way of knowing. There could be _dozens_ of warriors like them, for all she knew, and now they were _all_ going to be coming after her.

Giving the report one last readthrough, Cinder bit back a yawn and sent it on its way. The scroll slipped from her fingers, and she raised her hand to rub stinging, bleary eyes. It was getting too hard to keep them open. _There's… still more to do…_

More to do there may have been, but some things couldn't be denied. For the first time since she'd stolen the first half of Amber's power, over a year and a half ago, sleep claimed Cinder Fall.

* * *

It was really boring to just have to lay there waiting, but thankfully Ruby had a room full of friends to keep her company. The steady drip from her IV kept the worst of the pain at bay, and she'd even been able to catch a few winks as the hours wore on. Jaune and Pyrrha both made certain to spend time with her, checking on Yang every time she found herself worrying again and reassuring her that everything was okay. The Mistralian champion's voice was still a little hoarse, and Jaune was still favoring his ribs where he'd said a goliath's tusk had caught him, but they didn't seem to let their injuries bring them down. Weiss only left her side to sit with Winter, and Ruby'd heard her partner's relieved cry when the older Schnee had finally opened her eyes.

Even Cardin Winchester had stopped by, surly and grumpy and fighting the medication that was intended to keep him doped to the gills. The big nurse had eventually come in to drag him back to his own room, his gruff complaints echoing through the halls.

Now though, was a quiet lull in the chatting. Weiss was asleep in the chair next to Winter, Jaune and Pyrrha had gone to the cafeteria, and Ren was either asleep or meditating next to Nora. The mages were all asleep as well, even Shamal was dozing in a chair. Ruby was left alone with her thoughts, and she'd napped so much that sleep wouldn't come.

Voices in the hallway caught her attention, and she turned her head a little to look at the door. With only gentle breathing and the quiet beeps of medical monitors, it wasn't too hard to hear some of the words being said.

"-just saying that seeing you at all was a big shock for her," she could make out Uncle Qrow's voice. "It was a big shock for all of us."

The next words were muffled, but she heard her dad respond. "...fine. But I'm waiting right out here." There was a pause. "...don't suppose you're wanting to go in too?"

"Fuck no, I'm not going in there. They're all yours."

There was a gentle knock, and then the door cracked open. A few white petals drifted through the gap, and then her mother cautiously poked her head inside, blindfold hiding her eyes. "...may I come in?"

* * *

[Following scene written by Golden Lark ]

The howls and grunts of a thousand Grimm echoed under a warped and violet sky. Barren and blasted rock stretched for miles, all but covered in snarling, writhing, and idle Creatures of Grimm. Atop a rise, on a flat section of rock, a building broke the endless horizon of phantasmal black flesh. No Grimm stepped within one hundred yards, and not a single sign of habitation was visible from the outside.

From an upper window, a lone figure stood, occasionally turning to check on various glowing sigils and screens projected in the air nearby. When a quiet tone chirped further inside, it turned and faded from view.

Jet black fingers touched a hologram. The mail from Cinder was ignored. A moment later speed-dial was ringing her newest Maiden's scroll.

Words were spoken before Cinder could voice a greeting. "Good news?"

" _...Yes. Mission successful. I have the- hnng. The mantle. My exfiltration will be delayed."_

"Delayed? You should be able to _fly_."

" _There is a . . . complication. Not . . . my wounds."_

The figure's head tilted, and bright eyes narrowed inside a white face. "And what manner of 'complication' prevents you from simply taking to the sky and riding the wind back to base?"

A series of tones sounded, and a video screen opened up in the air with the Black Queen symbol.

" _Better to just show you."_

Footage of the Grimm incursion in Vale began to play back. The figure remained impassive as men, faunus, and minor Grimm met their ends in quick succession. Right before its patience wore thin, two bright bursts of color erupted onto the screen.

As the two newcomers began to lay waste to the attackers with impunity, a particular glyph lit up by each of them occasionally as they pressed their attack. Waves of fire and force washed across the ruined city blocks as sword and hammer crushed all who stood in opposition.

It was fortunate that the comm feed was audio only, as the look on Salem's face was akin to a housewife opening a cupboard to find a handful of cockroaches. It was not an expression that played well to her standard unshakable, unmoved facade.

"Fine. You chose wisely. Lay low until I give you leave to flare your power and escape."

Cutting off the call, the Black Queen of the Grimm turned away from her terminals and glared into the distance outside her window. Her lips pulled back involuntarily into a long-neglected sneer of disgust.

"...Belkans."


	36. Chapter 32

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 32 - Recovery and Casualty

Zafira was at the door before Ruby could even think to say anything, an almost inaudibly low rumble issuing from his chest. Summer hesitated, tilting her head down in momentary confusion.

The growl subsided after a moment though, and Ruby could hear Zafira sniffing inquisitively at the newcomer. Then he pushed his head through the gap of the door, his tail relaxing.  
"Oh, hello there!" There was a pause, and Ruby could hear the light scratching of Summer's fingers running through the blue wolf's thick fur. "Aren't you a big- wait a minute. ...Arf? Is that you?"

Zafira snorted in mild disdain, his tail wagging once. "H-hey! What are you- let go! I can- okay, okay, I'm coming." The wolf backed into the room, teeth clamped lightly around Summer's bracer, pulling her along. Summer closed the door behind her, standing uncertainly as a scattering of white drifted away from her. The petals flowed around the interior of the room, bouncing silently off beds and other fixtures. "I didn't realize there were so many people in here."

Shamal was awake, watching silently from her chair by Hayate's bed.

Zafira let go of Summer's arm, then padded around to her side, shoving his head under Summer's hand. She rested her hand on his scruff, and the wolf slowly led her through the room toward Ruby's bed.

Ruby watched her mother warily, trying to make sense of the emotions fighting inside her. For a long moment, her mother just stood there, unsure, her cascade of petals drawing in close around her. Some brushed by her blankets, feather-light.

A minute passed in silence, Ruby unwilling to say anything. Zafira remained at the bedside, watching her. There was no judgment in the wolf's eyes, just shrewd awareness.

"Ruby, I-" Summer's voice hitched, making her pause. Ruby glanced at her face, seeing the worry and concern there. "I don't- I don't know what to say. I don't know if there's anything I _can_ say, if there's anything you'd accept from me. What could I say that would make what I did to you better? What words could possibly erase what I've done to you?

"I left you and Yang alone. You needed me, and… I wasn't there. Tai's right, the reason doesn't matter. I… made you grow up without a mother, and-"

It was so cruel of her, she knew, but Ruby still couldn't make herself speak. Any noise caught in her throat, dying unvoiced, and she watched Summer's expression crumble.

"I- I know I hurt you both, so badly. If you don't want anything to do with me, I- I understand. But I want you to know I love you, that I never stopped loving you." Summer pressed her hand over her blindfold, and Ruby could see the sparkling tears running down her face. They tumbled of her cheeks, turning to tiny beads of ice that _tinked_ off the frame of the bed.

"I- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I-" Summer drew a deep breath, and turned to leave.

Ruby wanted to cry, to scream. Thoughts raced through her mind, _'_ _how could you leave me'_ fighting for space with _'_ _don't go'_ and _'_ _get out!'_ She couldn't make herself say any of them, afraid that what would pour unbidden from her lips would shatter them both.

Summer was walking away from the bed. Ruby reached out, and her fingers brushed the velvety weightlessness of a white rose petal. Her fingers closed around it, desperately.

Her mother stopped in her tracks, shaking. Summer turned back around, and trembling hands clasped Ruby's own. Ruby tugged her closer, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulders. A sob forced its way past her lips.

There was a scraping sound, and suddenly Shamal was there, easing a chair into place behind Summer's legs. Ruby pulled Summer's hand to her face, and cool fingers brushed the wetness from her cheek.

Even as the tears started flowing in earnest, Ruby wondered how hands that felt so cold could be so warm.

* * *

"It seems like this is the first chance we've had since the dance to just… sit down," the Mistralian champion said. "The flight back wasn't really restful."

Jaune and Pyrrha had slipped out of the room for a bit to get some fresh air, sitting together on one of the benches outside the main entrance. Jaune found himself nodding along with her statement. "Yeah. I mean I know it's _not,_ because we had classes Monday and Tuesday, and… everything. But it sure feels like it. It helps knowing that everyone's going to be okay."

Even as the words left his mouth, though, his eyes tracked guiltily toward Vale. A smoky pall still hung over the battle-torn downtown district, darkening the early morning sky. _Not everyone's okay. Our teams were lucky.  
_  
Pyrrha caught his look and sighed, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "That's not our fault, Jaune. It's terrible, but the four of us wouldn't have made any more of a difference. We were where we needed to be."

"Yeah, I know." He took a sip of his drink, trying to ignore the bitter taste.

Wandering the infirmary halls, they'd happened upon a break room with a fresh pot of coffee being brewed. Jaune had offered to grab her a cup, making a lame joke about a first after-the-dance date. _Pyrrha smiled and laughed, though, so I guess it wasn't that lame.  
_  
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds chirping their morning songs as the sun started peeking over the horizon. Pyrrha's unbound, messy hair caught the first golden rays and turned to burnished copper, and Jaune found himself staring. Her face was half in shadow, but her eyes still gleamed bright green, like forest leaves.

Eventually she noticed, raising a hand to her head self-consciously. "I know, I look like a mess, don't I."

"What? No, no! I just-" Jaune looked down at his lap, shoulders slumping. "Some first date. Crappy hospital coffee. And compared to me, you're positively radiant."

She was silent for a moment. "I guess the coffee is a little bitter, but… Jaune. Look at me?"

Jaune glanced up at Pyrrha, blinking in surprise. She was _right there,_ leaning toward him-

He felt the kiss all the way down to his toes, and it silenced his worries completely.

* * *

It was almost funny watching Raven fret, Qrow thought. His sister was pacing back and forth, glaring at the door constantly, one hand white-knuckling the hilt of her oodachi.

Finally he had to say something, if only to keep himself from laughing out loud. "Sis, sit down before you break something. You're about to come apart at the seams."

"I need to be ready, Qrow. Summer's my responsibility." Raven cast another glance at the room's door. "Like Tai said, Summer _abandoned_ them, regardless of reason. They might not react well."

That did it. Qrow burst out laughing, earning a glare from her himself. "You are trying _way_ too hard to keep your distance, Raven. The kids aren't going to hurt her. There's gonna be crying, maybe some yelling and more crying, and then they're gonna hug it out and it's gonna be cathartic as hell for all of them."

Raven paused, pursing her lips. "I still need to be worried. What if-"

"Raven. Sis. Look at me." Qrow waited until her red eyes locked onto him. "You're tense, I get it. You've been strung tighter than a bowstring for well over a decade and it's hard to relax. But, believe me when I say this; there is no safer place on _all of Remnant_ for Summer right now than inside that very room. Shamal and Zafira and Arf are all in there keeping an eye on everyone."

"What have they done to earn your trust-"

"They saved Amber's life, Raven. Repeatedly." Qrow glanced down the hallway, and rose to his feet. "Speaking of. Lieutenant Galant, how are you feeling?"

"Like someone threw a bomb at me a few days ago," the Navy mage replied. "Room for two more in there?"

"Give 'em a few more minutes."

* * *

"I didn't want to leave," the familiar voice was saying. "It tore me to pieces, Ruby, but I couldn't come home."

"We thought you were dead." Ruby's voice was hushed, almost a whisper, but she could still hear the rawness in her tone. The sniffle from her runny nose when she took a breath.

 _Ruby's been crying._ That realization more than anything else made Yang realize she wasn't dreaming. Yang opened her eyes a crack, tilting her head toward her sister's voice. Even doing that much hurt.

There was someone sitting in the metal-framed chair next to Ruby's bed, a tattered white cloak stained with blood draped over her shoulders. The woman's hood was down, and Yang could see red-tinged black hair, just like Ruby's own, and the back of a black blindfold. A scattering of white petals drifted sedately through the air around her.

The realization made her heart clench painfully. _Mom.  
_  
"I know, Little Rose, I know. It was… terrible of us to do to you all, but we had to let that be the reality you knew. You fought the Summer Maiden, Ruby. You know how horrible she is. There are more people out there just like her, and if they'd known I was alive…"

"They would have come after us to get to you." Ruby sniffed again, then took a deep, tremulous breath. "People suck, don't they."

Summer's shoulders shook underneath her cloak, and she let out a watery giggle. "Don't say that, Ruby. Most people aren't bad, you know that."

"...some people suck, then, and they ruin it for everyone else."

"That's… yeah. I can't argue with that."

"B-but you're home now, right?" A glimmer of hope made itself known in Ruby's voice, and Yang had to close her eyes against her tears.

 _But she'll be leaving. People always leave.  
_  
"Yes, sweetie. It's… complicated, but I'm home right now."

Someone bustled by, humming. Yang heard Ruby shift. "Hey Shamal. H-have you met my mom?"

"I have not. Would you like to introduce us?" Shamal's voice was cheerful and kind, as it ever was.

"Okay! Shamal, this is my mom, Summer. She's a huntress. Mom, this is Shamal Yagami, Knight of the Lake."

"Nice to meet you." There was a small pause. "You're a bit young to be a knight." Yang could hear the grin in Summer's tone.

"Looks can be deceiving, Ms. Rose. If you'll excuse me, though, I'd like to continue your daughter's treatment. It'll be much easier to hug each other if she's able to sit up, won't it?"

"Of course, don't mind me." Summer scooted her chair back, the feet scraping on the floor. Yang cracked her eyes open again to see Shamal cutting the bandages away from Ruby's back.

"Mm. This may be a little strange, Ruby." Shamal's hands started to glow green, but Yang couldn't see exactly what was going on from her position. The glow spread outwards, filling that corner of the room with soothing shades of emerald. A Belkan triangle covered the floor around Shamal's feet, spinning slowly.

"It's fine! Do whatever you need to- oh _crap_ that's weird!" Ruby's hands clenched around her pillow.

"...it _sounds_ weird." Summer's voice was both intrigued and vaguely disturbed.

"To be fair, I'm knitting your muscle tissues back together manually. There won't be any scarring though, so you won't experience any loss of mobility." Shamal glanced over her shoulder suddenly, her eyes meeting Yang's before she could look away. "You're next, Miss Xiao Long, so you may as well stop pretending you're asleep."

 _Fuck.  
_  
"Yang!" Summer spun her chair around, the rubber feet squeaking from the motion. "You're awake!"

"H-hey mom. Been a while." Yang tried to force herself up onto her elbows, ignoring the flares of agony across her arms and belly. Her Aura fed off the pain, muting it just enough for her to handle, but the effort still left her gasping.

Cool arms supported her, taking the weight off her trembling limbs. "Careful, careful! For fuck's sake, Yang, you'll tear your wounds open again!" Summer was beside her, propping her up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine-"

"You are most certainly _not_ fine, Yang Xiao Long," Shamal glared at her. "To be frank, you're lucky you still have _both arms."  
_  
"Well it's a good thing I'm-"

"It's a damned good thing she's-"

"-not Frank!" They chorused, then paused and looked at each other.

Yang chortled.

Ruby _groaned.  
_  
Summer started giggling, pulling Yang into an embrace. "Oh how I've _missed_ you, Little _Pun_ Dragon."

"I did learn from the best!" Yang gently pushed her mom out to arm's length, staring at her. Summer looked almost exactly like she remembered, except… Yang reached up to touch the blindfold over Summer's eyes.

Summer stopped her before she could lift it, biting her lip. "There's a reason I wear this thing, Yang. Don't freak out, okay?"

"What's there to freak out about-" White light flared when Yang lifted the cloth, nearly blinding her for a moment. When she blinked her vision clear, she could see Summer's eyes beneath the glare, the same silver as Ruby's. "Oh. Oh geez, mom. You've got the same glow thing going on that the bitchqueen had."

She nodded, but said nothing, instead looking Yang up and down for the first time in a decade. She looked over her shoulder at Ruby, just as Shamal was helping her sit up in her bed. "You've both grown so much..." The first frozen tears started to fall down her cheeks-

"Ms. Rose?" Shamal was there, taking Summer's arm and guiding her back to Ruby's side. "We're done here. Could you please help Ruby take a few steps around the room? I'll have Yang walking in a few moments and then she can join you."

With Shamal's help, Yang leaned back against her pillow, wincing. Fresh blood was beginning to dot the wrappings around her arms and chest, and she looked resolutely at the ceiling tiles as the healer began to remove them. Green suffused her vision, and she made an effort to keep her mind of the odd feeling of her cuts and gashes being _tugged back together._ "I, uh… couldn't help but notice that there are a lot of us in here. Is Blake okay?"

Shamal nodded, nothing but that calm smile on her face as she looked down at Yang. "Blake is fine. I've kept her asleep for the time being while the regeneration spell does its work, but it should be finished by now. I can wake her up when I'm finished with you."

Yang let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and letting Shamal work. Something she'd said tugged at her thoughts though, and after a moment she had to ask. "...how bad was it?"

Shamal's hands stilled, resting on her belly for a moment. "She was rather severely burned when they brought you all in, which put her high on my priority list. As I said, she should be fully healed by now, but… burns are never pleasant, and she for all intents and purposes survived being burned alive. It's not something that one forgets easily."

Yang flicked her eyes back open and _looked_ at Shamal. "That's happened to you, hasn't it?"

"Being a _Wolkenritter_ is both a blessing and a curse. Our minds cannot break, but that means we can't take the solace that comes with madness." Shamal patted her lightly, then slid an arm under her to help Yang sit upright. "Blake will most likely have some… lasting effects from the experience. It's important that her friends are there for her."

"As if anything could keep me away."

* * *

[ *** ] [Following scene written by Eleutherius, barring minor alterations for fit and flow]

"-and that should cover the basics. I'll take your questions now," Chrono finished, and Sun's mind spun. He glanced to his left at Neptune, and received an equally lost look in return. A quick check on Coco and her team to their right confirmed that they weren't quite sure where to start either. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Sun valiantly tried to force his thoughts back into some semblance of order.

He failed. He still had the wherewithal to not really _blame_ himself for it, at least. It was a lot to take in!

Chrono had led them all to one of the infirmary's break rooms, flicking the lock once they'd all entered. After everyone was seated- or wheeled into place, in Coco's case-, he'd explained everything about who he and the other refugees were.

Sitting across the table from the students was not just Chrono, but also Signum and Professor Goodwitch. The deputy headmaster had joined them despite an arm in a sling, as a representative of the Beacon staff and to provide legitimacy to Chrono's claims. Despite all they had already seen the Yagamis do during the battle, the students still found themselves turning incredulously to the professor for confirmation, and each silent nod back had only seen the rabbit hole go that much deeper. Signum had joined them to answer any questions Sun or Neptune might have had about what they'd seen of her during the Breach, but Chrono's summary explanation of the Wolkenritter had ultimately pre-empted that. Once it became clear she wouldn't need to speak much, she'd merely poured herself a cup of tea from the room's refreshments and returned to her seat at Chrono's right, for all the world looking like she was at a board meeting. Sun found himself seriously envying her calm.

The few moments he'd taken to rally himself hadn't seen anyone else speak. _It's like a crypt in here, and half as cheerful_. Sun frowned to himself at that thought. _Someone's got to do something about that._ Nodding to himself, course finally set, Sun broke the silence.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is a lot to take in. We just found out all sorts of stuff that's real hard to get our heads wrapped around. I mean, it's not just that aliens are real. It's not even just that magic is real." Neptune and all of CFVY turned to look at him. _Perfect._ "No, today is the day we all found out, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt-" and Sun looked Chrono dead in the eye, putting all his effort into maintaining an air of heavy gravitas and absolute sincerity. "-that Neptune is really, really, into older women. I mean, _damn."  
_  
An incoherent, choked sound from his left might have been an attempt at "What the hell, Sun!?", but he'd never know for sure. All but one face at the meeting slowly but inexorably swung around towards the end of the table where Neptune was sitting across from Signum. After his abortive attempt at a retort, Neptune had settled into red-faced, mortified silence. Signum, on the other hand, was completely unperturbed, instead taking the opportunity to sip her tea. As Neptune helplessly scanned the faces of the crowd for any source of relief or escape, he met Glynda's eyes and shifted suddenly from crimson to pale. Slowly and ever so deliberately, the professor raised a single eyebrow, completely silent.

Neptune's words this time were much clearer, even as he buried his face in his hands. "Dust, kill me now."

* * *

Blake's eyes snapped open with a start, expecting to see seething clouds and streamers of fire. She lurched upright, hands scrabbling at the strangely soft ground, trying to find _Gambol Shroud.  
_  
"Whoa, Blake! Easy, easy! It's okay! We're safe, it's all right." Strong arms enveloped her, and the fit of adrenaline drained away, leaving her shaking.

"What- Yang? Where are we?" Blake could remember the fire wrapping around her, searing through her Aura and sizzling her skin, and the stench of burning hair. Her hands moved of their own accord, patting their way up her body and finding only healthy skin and fabric.

"We're back at Beacon. Shamal and Yuuno have been looking after us, we're in the big recovery room in the infirmary. You know, the one that we were all sure we'd never need?"

"And you say I'm the cynic." Now that Yang had mentioned it, Blake recognized the bland color of the walls. Her hands crept up further, only to have Yang gripping her wrists.

"Hold on a second, Blake. Before you freak out, I need to warn you that we're both a little light-headed after all that." Yang kept her tone light.

Blake blinked, leaning back to look Yang over. What she saw brought her up short, and she had to remember to keep her mouth closed.

Yang's luxurious fall of curls had been reduced to a messy globe of gold, only a few inches long and refusing to lay down in the slightest. Her partner blushed a little, running a hand through her hair only for it to poof right back up. "I, uh. It looked a lot worse a little while ago but Mom and Ruby trimmed it even."

 _Light-headed._ The pun made a lot of sense suddenly, and the fact that Yang had said they were _both_ light-headed set in. "My… my ears are cold. All of them are." Blake reached up, almost afraid of what she'd find.

Velvety fuzz met her fingers when they brushed over her faunus ears, making her sigh in relief. But the rest of her hair was, for the most part, gone. All she could feel was an inch-long crop of silky strands. It left her at a loss for words.

"Blake, a moment of your time?" Yang pulled back to let Shamal stand at Blake's side. "I'm going to be a little blunt, Blake. You were burned very badly when you arrived, and while I believe I was able to heal all of the damage, I'd like to do a quick hearing check. I've never had to treat someone with four separate ears before."

"...okay." _What else can I say something like that?  
_  
"Thank you. Tell me if you hear anything." Shamal reached forward, holding _Klarer Wind_ next to Blake's upper-left ear. When she heard the faint ringing tone, she nodded, and Shamal moved onto the next.

It only took a moment for Shamal to finish, and the healer nodded in satisfaction. "Good, it doesn't seem like there's a problem. I still recommend that you speak with an ear specialist when you can, as they're better equipped to diagnose if there's anything I missed."

Blake let out a breath, twisting her faunus ears back and forth for a moment. Just to be sure, she told herself. "...you, uhm. If the burns were that bad, and you had just healed me, I still wouldn't have any hair yet. How long have I been unconscious?"

Shamal just smiled at her. "Self-esteem is just as important as physical health when it comes to recovering from injuries, Blake. Yuuno took the time to speed up the growth rate of your hair follicles; it's standard procedure for burn patients back on Mid-Childa, actually." The smiled faded to a piqued frown after a moment. "Under normal circumstances you'd be scheduling an appointment with a hairdresser by now, but Remnant's interference field is reducing the effectiveness of the spell."

Blake shook her head, even going so far as to smile back at the doctor. "No, no, it's fine! It's a lot more than I could have hoped for, even. Thank you, Shamal. You and Yuuno both."

There was a light triple-tap at the door. Under Hayate's bed, Zafira opened one eye but otherwise didn't move. A moment later, Jaune and Pyrrha came in, talking quietly to each other. "-never needed a shower that badly in my _life._ I swear I had sand in places I didn't even know I had!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha blushed, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"What? It's true!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, scanning the room. Her eyes widened a little, and she weaved between the beds as quickly as she could to grab Blake's hands. "Blake, Yang! You're both up!"

Blake was suddenly acutely aware that her ribbon was missing; most likely burned to ash back on Patch. She ducked her head a little, her ears starting to flatten reflexively before she remembered that Pyrrha already knew. The Mistralian had even told her once that she looked forward to the day when Blake would be comfortable enough to walk around in the open with her ears free. "Ah- yeah, we are."

"Huh," Jaune said behind her. "Lieutenant Galant? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back at the Arthra?"

"Mr. Arc." The navy mage was sitting in the corner of the room next to another occupied bed, where a slim, well-tanned brunette woman was sleeping peacefully. His storage device rested in the crook of his arm. "Lockheed and I have been assigned to VIP detail the last week or so."

"Oh. Who's, uh. Who's the VIP? Is that her?"

"Coma victim. Shamal worked her magic on her a couple days ago, she is due to wake up anytime. Her name is Amber."

* * *

"Again, I apologize for the cramped quarters, but this was the simplest method by which to get everyone into one place for privacy. Please, make yourselves comfortable, and I will make this brief."

Headmaster Ozpin waited patiently, his face betraying none of the thoughts that Ruby knew had to be racing through his head. Around them, over two dozen people sat down on every available surface in Trauma Rec One, two to a bed when possible. In the corner of the room, under Chrono and Sentra's uncompromising watch, sat _Roman Torchwick,_ and a slip of a girl with pink and brown hair. The girl's eyes constantly changed color, flickering between pink and white whenever she glanced at Sentra.

When the criminal had walked into the room he'd actually tipped his hat toward her, a gesture of actual respect that had stilled the shout of alarm in her throat unvoiced. He'd nodded to Blake as well.

It had helped that he'd been escorted through the door at device-point.

Now, though, _everyone_ involved in the TSAB coverup was sitting in the suddenly too-small room. Teams CSAL, ZFSH, and NAVY, as well as JNPR and Ruby's own team. Winter was on her feet again thanks to Shamal and Yuuno, standing at Ironwood's right shoulder. Her mother was standing next to her father and Uncle Qrow, along with a black-haired woman who could only be Raven Branwen.

Raven hadn't even so much as looked at Yang, and only Ruby's hand on her older sister's shoulder had kept the brawler from leaping to her feet. Ruby could feel the tension seething through Yang's frame, but at least for the moment she was holding her tongue.

The only person who _wasn't_ awake and paying attention was the girl that Roland had called Amber, and the TSAB mage wasn't leaving her side. Ruby noticed that Qrow had glanced at the mage and nodded in… gratitude.

"First things first," the headmaster said once everyone had settled in, "Admiral Harlaown."

Lindy nodded, manifesting her device in her hands. "Durandal, Frozen Wall." The chill pulse of light swept through the room, and the walls frosted over.

"Your debriefing with Mr. Torchwick went as expected?"

Torchwick had just inclined his head with a smile, as if _S2U_ and _Rosen_ weren't even there. Lindy nodded. "We spent a period of time discussing his admitted investigation into the _Arthra._ Lotte and Aria have confirmed that his story has no inconsistencies from what they have seen, and given the lack of preparation the opposing force has had for our actual capabilities, I am confident in trusting his word when he says that his own knowledge has not been passed to the enemy."

"Neo and I are survivors, _Admiral_ Harlaown. I know when the playing field has changed, and staying on the losing side is a quick way to an early grave." He flicked open his lighter to start his cigar, only to frown when the flame was snuffed by a chill wind.

Reinforce shook her finger at him, her cherubic face severe. "This is a medical facility, Mr. Torchwick! No smoking!"

He sighed and nodded, putting the lighter away. He kept the cigar clenched in his teeth, though, chewing on the end.

"I concur with the admiral's assessment," was all Chrono said.

"Then I will continue. RWBY and JNPR, and Specialist Schnee. You are all aware of the Story of the Seasons."

Ruby nodded a little, glancing toward her mother. Summer's face was impassive, half hidden behind her blindfold. "Y-yes, Headmaster. Mom said we… were fighting with the Maiden of Summer." Team JNPR stared at her, and even though Winter kept her gaze forward, Ruby could see the speculative look on her face.

Headmaster Ozpin nodded, and began speaking. He detailed that the Maidens were all real, and that he and Professor Goodwitch along with Uncle Qrow and General Ironwood had been working to safeguard their existence in secrecy. "A conspiracy of necessity that seems to have ultimately failed, as we are now aware."

"No shit?" Roman leaned forward in his seat, rolling his cane back and forth in his hands. "Cinder Fall's one of them? That explains her fire gimmicks."

Ruby raised her eyebrows. "Cinder Fall? She's the student that made the dresses for Nanoha and the Harlaowns for the dance!"

"Indeed. Cinder Fall had stolen half of the Fall Maiden's power, and is now in possession of the entirety of it." The headmaster frowned, tapping his cane on the floor. "We were all played for fools."

"I was _wondering_ why she was bothering to pose as a student," Torchwick commented. He pulled off his hat, scratching at his hair, and the girl immediately stole it from his limp hand to set on her own head. "You were hiding the girl in Beacon somewhere."

Professor Goodwitch pinched the bridge of her nose, and General Ironwood just sighed. Headmaster Ozpin continued as if Torchwick hadn't interrupted. "Ruby. Your team fought against the Summer Maiden, as well as the Grimm she seemed to control. Describe to us what you noticed, please. Everything is important."

"R-right! Uhm. When we got to Signal and helped Dad and his students fight off all those Grimm, Dad told us that there were just _too many Grimm_ on Patch. I volunteered to take my Team and Fate and Arf to scout out where they were coming from while Uncle Qrow helped them evacuate the school." Ruby twitched a smile at her father. "I, uh. I guess we got in a little over our heads."

Yang took up where she left off. "We moved through the forest until we got to the cliff edge, uhm… your cenotaph, Mom. Well… we thought it was actually your grave, not just a marker, but-"

"Beside the point. Continue."

Yang's voice caught in her throat, and she _glared_ at Raven. Her eyes flashed red, and Ruby squeezed on Yang's forearm. "Yang! Please, this is important!"

Crimson faded back to violet. "...right. Anyways, we got to the cliff edge, and… that's when the Kraken attacked."

"The Kraken," Professor Goodwitch said. "The mythological Kraken," she repeated. "You are certain?"

"A hundred percent, ma'am. It had to be the size of one of Ironwood's airships, all tentacles and bone, and it was _throwing_ waves of Grimm at us. Makara. By the way, we know where Makara come from now!" She forced some levity into her tone, grinning at the deputy headmaster. Goodwitch just shook her head.

"A-anyways, uhm. When that happened, Fate went loud," Ruby said. "Arf ran forward and bound the whole Kraken with one of her spells, and Fate flew up to blast it with a big bombardment spell. But the lightning hit _her_ instead, I- I guess that was Briar's doing."

Fate grimaced, nodding. "Bardiche was busy with the extra calculations because of the interference effect, and didn't get an autoguard off. It was a… masterful stroke, I hate to admit. By taking me down specifically, she kept the Kraken in play and Arf was forced to keep binding it instead of trying to fight back."

"That's when they attacked us," Weiss grimaced. "Blake got taken down… hard, in their alpha strike. It was… that Maiden, Briar Breeze, and she had a companion with her. I think her name was Holika. They were both faunus."

Blake straightened. "Briar Breeze and Holika the Unburnt. I… know of them." Eyes turned toward her and she ducked her head, ears flattening. "They're… extremists. Back when the White Fang was still… peaceful, they were already violent terrorists. Some of them-"

Blake paused, closing her eyes. "Some of _us_ felt that they were hurting the cause more than helping it. We didn't want to work with them at all, we felt like we'd be tainted by association. I… I think they're actually where some of the more extreme members took inspiration when the White Fang failed to get the reactions we were hoping for. Emulating them, or feeling validated by them, because in the places they operated things did change a bit for the better. Briefly. Then the fear would wear off and the resentment would come back tenfold."

"The Summer Mantle is in the possession of an absolute terrorist, then." Headmaster Ozpin nodded slowly.

"A-anyways, uhm. Briar… she…" Ruby took a breath. "She beat me, badly. She destroyed Crescent Rose- her Semblance, she called it Rend! She makes these claws out of her Aura and they cut through anything in her way, even Aura and glyphs. She left me alive to go _play_ with Yang and Blake and Weiss. She _hated_ Blake, called her a traitor. And… that's when I grabbed Bardiche, and he let me use him to try to stop her." Ruby rubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the hot tears that threatened to spill. "I'm so sorry, Fate! He's your partner and she ripped him to pieces! If I'd been smarter, if I'd been better, I-"

"It's fine, Ruby. Really. Most of a device is kept in a dimensional pocket; we'll be able to repair him." Fate smiled at her, and Ruby felt her gut unclench. There was no condemnation in Fate's red eyes, only compassion.

She nodded, swallowing. "B-but that's when she… put me down again, and Mom and Dad and Uncle Qrow and… and Aunt Raven showed up to save us."

Her mother spoke up then, shaking her head. "You saved yourselves, Little Rose." The pet name made her blush and duck her head. "We only got there in time because you all fought so hard."

"They definitely have some way of controlling the Grimm, or at least getting them to listen to them," Uncle Qrow said. "We had Briar and Holika boxed in against the cliff edge, and instead of making a last stand they cut the Kraken loose and jumped into the water. It actually grabbed them and carried them away."

"Ah- we saw something similar, actually." Jaune raised his hand, getting everyone's attention. "Not quite as _blatant,_ but… there were a _lot_ of Grimm at the tower site. Nothing like the Kraken that Yang described, but everything from beowolves to goliaths. Lots of alphas too, of every kind. And when Chrono threw a surprise bind at… what was her name?"

"Yasmine," the enforcer offered.

"Yasmine?" Headmaster Ozpin straightened, eyes widening. "Captain, your device was recording, correct? Show me."

Chrono nodded. "S2U, display timestamp, previous combat action, fourteen twenty two hours." A holowindow appeared in the air, and Ruby found herself leaning a little to get a better view.

The image was of a middle-aged woman, with dusky skin and finely boned features, her hair a long, thick braid of pure white. Her clothing was expertly tailored, a dress of deep green with flaring sleeves that faded to white at the wrists, and her sky-blue eyes were glowing with green power. The wind-borne sand refused to touch her, leaving her spotless and clean. Ruby thought she looked almost regal, as if she didn't belong there with the dirt and dust surrounding her.

Headmaster Ozpin closed his eyes, turning away. His hands tightened around the grip of his cane. "I require a moment. I will return shortly." Without another word, he slipped through the door, closing it behind him.

Silence was left in his wake. Ruby shifted uncomfortably, feeling the tension in the air. "Did… anyone else get the impression that Headmaster Ozpin _knows_ her?"

* * *

In the silence following Ruby's question, Chrono watched the adult hunters glancing questioningly at each other. None of them spoke up, though he did catch a pinched cast to Goodwitch's expression. _If the headmaster does know this Yasmine, he never told the others about her.  
_  
Low conversation started up between the people inside the room, but none of it was immediately relevant so Chrono let himself tune it out, trying to focus on the nagging feeling in the back of his head. _Three distinct and separate groups, all operating in a coordinated manner. Four, if we count the ones that went after Ivory and Raven ten years ago._ He mulled it over, furrowing his brow. _I'd go so far as to call them separate operational cells._

Distinct operational units implies a defined command structure.

The door opened again, pausing his thoughts. Ozpin entered the room, staring at a spot of nothing in the center of the room. Everyone waited, not wanting to be the one to speak first.

Finally, Ozpin looked back up, his gaze passing over everyone present. "The woman encountered by the team sent to the Red Steppes is Yasmine Zambacca. She is descended from Mantle royalty dating back to before the Great War, and her family line has been in possession of the Spring Mantle for centuries. Yasmine herself has been the Spring Maiden since the natural death of her grandmother some thirty years ago."

Ironwood straightened up, affronted. "You knew this for how long, Oz? And you never thought fit to actually share her identity with us?"

"She was in hiding, unknown to the world, and safe, James. I knew her identity, and I thought it best to maintain her secrecy."

"Apparently not, Oz! Because she's working with the enemy now! She's working with the _Grimm!"  
_  
"Yes, James, she is! I made a mistake!" Ozpin's voice was as dark as Chrono had yet heard from the man, harsh and grating. "I made a judgment call based on the information I had, and time has now shown that it was the wrong call to make!"

"Well maybe if you'd _kept us in the know,_ we wouldn't have a traitor Maiden! Do you think maybe that's how she found the others? It's been an inside job the entire time?"

"Wait." Chrono spoke while Ironwood paused for breath, cutting his impending tirade short. "Hold on a minute. Ironwood, you said _she,_ and you don't mean Zambacca."

He saw it on their faces. Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda and Qrow, all four of them reacted, looking away or clenching their teeth. "You said she. We have at _least_ three separate groups operating against us, headed individually by Cinder Fall, Yasmine Zambacca, and Briar Breeze. There may well have been a fourth that killed Ivory, and I'd be willing to bet money that there's a replacement searching for the Winter Mantle." Summer and Raven glanced at each other, trading small nods.

Their reactions verified everything. "Four cells operating together. None of them in a specific position of control or power over the others. That implies a controlling intelligence, a chain of command to which they are subject." Chrono looked directly at the headmaster, forcing the man to meet his gaze. "Ozpin, who is _she?"  
_  
Ozpin hesitated for a long moment, then removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "Salem, Captain Harlaown. She is called Salem, Queen of the Grimm, and she has been the enemy of this world for longer than our history can recollect. I cannot say more, because I know little more. I can only say that she is both eternal and implacable, and that the Grimm cull humanity because of her."

"That's an interesting linguistic coincidence," Reinforce chirped. "Etymologically, Salem can be considered to be a derivative of the ancient Hebrew term _shalem_ from Unadministered World Ninety Seven, roughly defined as wholeness or an unbroken state. More simply defined, peace." The device spun in place, humming in thought. "Ironic, considering that the Grimm force Remnant to exist in a constant state of war, and seek to destroy all they can touch!"

"Another Earth parallel," Lindy commented. "I'm beginning to wonder if they're all coincidences after all."

"Interesting, yes." Ozpin slid his glasses back on, shaking his head. "But admittedly beyond the scope of this meeting. Captain Yagami, your group was forced into conflict with Cinder Fall when she moved to acquire the other half of the Fall Mantle."

It was a blatant attempt to change the subject. Chrono met the headmaster's gaze again, lifting his chin a fraction. _I'll let it slide for now, but we're not finished with this subject._  
"Ah- that's correct, Headmaster. Admittedly not our finest moment." Hayate let out a small, awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her head.

"I hate to say it, but I'm really starting to dislike how this planet is treating me," Nanoha huffed. "That's two crashes in two months I've had to suffer through, and I'm getting tired of being put on my rear. It's embarrassing!"

"Beside the point, Takamachi," Chrono admonished. Nanoha grumbled, quieting down.

Sentra straightened up, clearing her throat. "As I stated in my report, Subject Fall evaded my attempt at capture due to unexpected interference from Admiral Harlaown's bombardment spell."

"Ah, haha, I am terribly sorry about that!"

"I'm not trying to place blame, ma'am," she was quick to clarify. "Confusion happens in a battlezone, and sometimes less than optimal occurrences are the result. The decision to bombard the main battlefront with an incapacitation spell was the tactically correct decision."

"So where do we stand? Cinder Fall is still at large?" Qrow's voice grated a bit more than usual.

"Not entirely." Chrono cleared his throat. "Subject Fall has gone to ground. Because of the series of events, she now knows that she is outgunned and outnumbered. She will remain in hiding until she sees an opportunity to escape, which means we have a window in which to find her." He glanced to the side, meeting Nanoha's gaze. "Takamachi. Tactical combat analysis?"

"Yes, sir." Nanoha held up her device. "Please play the recording of the vault attack, Raising Heart? Next to it, Cinder's attack on our bullhead."

Both scenes blinked into view on separate holowindows; there was no sound, but the action played seamlessly in the videos. "Subject Fall has shown to be a very capable combatant, utilizing skilled close-combat ability and both precision and low-tier bombardment ranged ability. She's likely capable of more now that she possesses the full Fall Mantle, but that's conjecture."

Everyone leaned forward for a better view, so Nanoha stretched the screens a bit larger. "However, her greatest strength appears to lie in planning the battlefield ahead of time. Subject Fall attempts to guarantee her victories through planning and tactics; in fact, of the three known instances of combat against her, only Lieutenant Commander Lockheed managed to actually halt her assault and make her withdraw. Mid-Childan spellcasting seems to have been a factor that she had no information with which to plan for."

"Which, unfortunately, is the very event that did give her the ability to plan for it against us." Yuuno frowned. "Her tactics immediately shifted when she realized Nanoha was using abilities comparable to Sentra's."

Nanoha nodded, and closed the videos. The windows winked out, disappearing. "I know it's kind of obvious, but the best way to combat Subject Fall is to prevent her from choosing the time and place. Catch her before she's able to plan against us." She stepped back, nodding again.

"Thank you, Captain." Lindy rose to her feet. "We know what we're up against, at least for the foreseeable future. Our main goal is twofold at this point; locate Cinder Fall before she can effect an escape from Vale, and make certain our own forces are recovered as quickly as possible."

Chrono glanced to his side to see Roman Torchwick grin slyly, nicking his hat back from Neo and seating it properly on his head. "Finding Cinder? That's something I may be able to help with, when you're ready."

Lindy inclined her head to him, but then looked back up at the rest of the room. "Oh, one more thing! We've gotten some good news that my fellow refugees may be interested to hear. Chrono, would you mind getting the door?"

"Yes, Admiral." Chrono crossed the room, weaving through the maze of people and medical equipment. He flicked the lock and opened the door, peeking through. "Come on in, we're ready for you."

When the Liese twins walked through the door, there was a moment of silence from the room. Except for those that had been at the Red Steppes site, none of the Remnant natives knew who they were. His fellow TSAB operatives, however, were struck speechless.

Only for a moment, though. A cacophony of shouting broke out, as half of them expressed happiness at seeing the two. The _Wolkenritter_ traded guarded looks, and stepped the slightest bit closer to Hayate. But even on the knights' faces Chrono could see relief.

* * *

Once the debriefing session had finished, people started separating into more comfortable groups, some leaving the room for fresh air. Everyone needed a little time to decompress, in one way or another.

Yang moved with purpose, once Blake had assured her that she'd be fine on her own. She hurried through the halls of the infirmary, trying to ignore the sidelong glances she was getting from the students she passed by. It was her hair, she knew. They were staring disbelievingly at the swirling golden globe that was left. _'_ _What on earth made Xiao Long cut her hair?'_ was the question she could hear being whispered.

It didn't matter, so she pushed it from her mind. Finally, through the window into one of the smaller break rooms, she spotted the back of her dad's head. Across the table from him sat her mom, and _her.  
_  
She almost punched the door open. She _almost_ did it, but right before her fist crashed into it she stopped herself. _Deep breaths, Yang. Stay calm, you can do this._ She breathed in deeply, again and again until her breath didn't feel like it was going to catch things on fire.

Yang raised her hand again and knocked.

The door opened immediately, and _she_ was standing there. Yang found herself staring into a face the mirror of her own.

"I knew you'd be hunting me down one way or another," Raven said. She stepped out of the way. "Let's get this over with."

Yang entered the room, saying nothing. The door swung closed behind her.

Everyone stared at her, waiting. Her father seemed tense, ready to jump to his feet. Summer was just waiting. _This is it.  
_  
"Well?" Her mother crossed her arms.

"I just wanted to know why, Raven." Yang couldn't call her _mom._ "You left me with dad the moment you were able to walk away, and I always wanted to know what made you do that."

"And now you do."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." The fire felt like it had gone out inside her, leaving ashes behind. Yang wasn't even angry anymore. "You had something else that you thought was more important than me. I can't even say you weren't justified thinking that."

"You were a mistake, Yang. I was already the Winter Maiden's guardian when I had my fling with your father." The short, blunt words hurt, even as much as she had been expecting them. Her father didn't react; _they probably had this argument earlier..._ "I already had responsibilities that would not let me care for a child, and even if I hadn't I would still have been a terrible mother for you. Leaving was the kindest thing I could ever have done for you-"

Yang felt her lips twist, but Raven raised a hand to forestall her response. "-it was the kindest thing I could do for you, to not be in your life. I don't give myself that much credit, because I didn't plan for it, but Summer finding her way into your and Tai's lives was the best thing that could have happened. And then I took her away, and _that_ is the cruelest thing I did to you.

"I'm the woman who gave birth to you, Yang, but I would never call myself your mother. Summer was your mother, and my actions took her out of your life. I don't regret what I did before, but that? That I do."

Raven stepped past her, opening the door. Yang's hands tightened into fists, her jaw clenched. Anything to keep the tears from spilling down her face. "Where are you going now?"

"I'm giving you some time with your parents. I don't need to be here for that." The door closed behind her.

Her eyes felt hot. Yang lowered her head, wiping the wetness away, and she felt her father's hand come to rest on her shoulder. Tentative footsteps approached her from the side, and when she blinked her eyes clear and looked up, Summer was standing uncertainly next to her.

Yang reached out and pulled her into a hug, and there was no stopping the tears anymore.

* * *

The maintenance room was never occupied early in the morning, and it was when Ruby preferred to do her own work. The smell of gun oil and spent Dust was comforting to her, and being able to sit alone and focus on simple mechanical tasks had always been a way for her to settle down after stressful times.

The lights were dim, except for a lone spotlight that had been left on in the rush to defend Vale. The tables were all unoccupied, rows of them sporting only a few cleaning rags that had been left behind.

Every table barring one. The remains of _Crescent Rose_ were scattered across the surface. The blade was shattered, splinters of it left behind in Patch. The rifle barrel was warped and marred by claw marks, scored completely through in places.

About the only thing still intact was the firing chamber itself. _Crescent Rose_ would never function again, not without a complete rebuild.

Ruby let out a sad sigh, reaching for the first tools to begin taking her weapon apart. _If I remove the blade completely and replace the barrel, I can at least have a weapon.  
_  
For years now, _Crescent Rose_ had been her partner, solid and dependable. Some people had called her silly, for treating her weapon with the same care that most would treat their closest friends. Ruby had always ignored them. But now, she couldn't help but compare her own weapon with _Bardiche._ _Bardiche_ was a true friend of Fate's, and seeing that truly intelligent being shredded by Briar's claws… She couldn't help but think how childish she had been all along.

She didn't even realize someone had walked in until the door closed again with a thud. Ruby startled, jerking her head up, and saw Fate toward her. "Uhm, hi Fate! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Fate replied. "Weiss said you come here a lot when you need some alone time."

"O-oh, I, uh. I'm not actually trying to avoid everyone, I just-" Ruby slumped back down, picking up a piece of _Crescent Rose's_ blade. "I know things aren't over yet, and we need to have every person ready to fight as soon as possible. I was going to see if I could get… _something_ working, even if I can't repair the scythe blade."

"About that. I could use your help with something, myself." Fate sat down next to her, reaching over and placing _Bardiche's_ cracked storage form onto the table in front of her. "Bardiche has a recovery function built into him, but I need your help giving him enough power flow to activate it."

"Really? He does?" The surprise was quickly followed by shock, right on her first thought's heels. "Wait, _me?_ What can I do?"

"Just reach out to him. You did once already, so you should be able to do it again." Fate smiled at her. "Go on."

Gingerly, Ruby picked up the gemmed plate. _Bardiche_ felt fragile in her hands, cracked and loose. She swallowed, closing her eyes and letting her Aura drop away.

For a moment, there was nothing. But then she could feel it again, static electricity making the hairs on her arm stand straight. There was a faint nudge in the core of her self, and she tried to follow it with her thoughts.

The gem flickered, then flashed brightly. The device spoke, stuffy tones thick with static. _"_ _Guest user recognized. Magilink interface online."  
_  
"Bardiche!" She couldn't stop the cheer from flooding her voice; it had been one thing for Fate to _tell_ her that the device could be repaired. It was quite another to be a part of it, to see Fate's friend coming back to life. "Set up!"

 _"_ _Recovery."  
_  
The pull at her core became a harsh tug, a torrent of power flowing out of her. Her vision tunneled, sounds drowning out to a low buzz around her. Ruby gasped for air, wondering what she'd gotten herself into-

The sensation faded as quickly as it had come, fading to a pleasant buzz in her chest. _Bardiche_ was whole in her hands, the axe-like head and yellow gem pristine and shining.

Ruby wanted to squeal, but she bit down on the need. With as much dignity as she could muster, she held the restored device out to Fate.

Fate just shook her head, placing her hand on Ruby's and gently pushing the polearm back toward her with a warm smile. "Bardiche."

 _"_ _Yes, sir."  
_  
"Recognize user designation, Ruby Rose. Reinitialize magilink compatibility, update for new user."

 _"_ _Yes, sir. Optimizing magilink interface, estimated time of completion; two hours."  
_  
Ruby blinked hard, looking down at _Bardiche_ then back up to Fate. "W-what? Why, Fate?"

"Ruby, how do fuses work?"

She tilted her head. "Uh. When too much electricity is flowing through a circuit, the fuse burns up and causes a gap to form in the circuit, breaking the flow of electricity."

"That's correct," Fate smiled again. "Well, as you know, my Linker Core has a lightning affinity. It is very easy for me to attune my magics with electrical effects, and it is easier for me to control electrical effects than it is for other mages. However, there are… _downsides_ to making full use of that affinity. When I was preparing to bombard the Kraken, my own magilink interface was fully… open, shall we say. Then Briar Breeze struck me with that lightning bolt. The long and short of it is part of her attack back-flowed into my Linker Core."

Ruby brought one hand to her mouth. "Oh geez. Are you okay?"

Fate nodded. "I will be with time to rest. But for the time being, it would be foolhardy in the extreme for me to channel magic of any sort. My Linker Core is… bruised, is the best way to describe it, and even magic healing can only do so much. So, I thought that since you need a weapon, and as of the moment I am unable to use my device… well, Bardiche likes you."

"I- I don't know what to say? You still trust me to use him? Bardiche, you still trust me after what happened?"

 _"_ _Get set."_

* * *

 _I never would have thought I'd watch the sunrise from one of these windows.  
_  
Torchwick sat in a wooden chair and enjoyed the view as the sun crested the distant horizon, pouring golden light across Beacon's campus. They were given a room on the highest floor of the visitor dorms, which they were sharing for the moment with Lotte and Aria.

He was wound far too tightly to sleep for the moment, but it wasn't the first time he'd been in such a mood. He'd crash hard in two hours or so, then wake up around noon a little irritable but none the worse for wear. Across the room, curled up in one of the dormitory's beds, Neo was sleeping away the stress of the last twenty four hours.

He couldn't blame her for being stressed, not at all. If he and Neo were snakes, they were in the middle of a den of mongooses. They were stepping _very_ lightly.

Aria and Lotte, he had a feeling, were in the room to protect the two of them just as much as they were there to keep an eye on them. The twins were asleep, but he knew they would wake up at the slightest hint of danger.

Leaning back in his chair, Torchwick tugged his cap a bit lower over his eyes to block out the light, and tried to relax. He was in the middle of Beacon Academy, with the Headmaster's own promise of protection. There wasn't a safer place for him on Remnant at the moment.

But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.


	37. Chapter 33

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 33 - Family

"Tell me, Ca-det Rose!" Nanoha paced back and forth in front of Ruby, her pink-winged footsteps still seeming to clap loudly on empty air. "What is the difference between a defensive barrier and a defensive shield spell!?" Her voice was loud and direct, projecting in a way that Ruby had never heard from the TSAB mage before.

They were floating in the center of Beacon's training arena, a dozen yards in the air. Scores of people filled the stands; students and professors both had turned out to watch Ruby's first practical magic session. _There is no more secret, not after recent events,_ Ozpin had said, and Lindy had agreed. _Let them see what your magic can do, and let them see one of Remnant's own learning to use it._

"A defensive barrier is omnidirectional and defends you from all sides! A shield spell is stronger but only defends from one direction!" Ruby belted the words back out as clearly as she could, and was rewarded with Nanoha's- no, _Captain Takamachi's_ narrow-eyed glare. "Sir!" Ruby hastily amended.

"And what is the defense provided by a Barrier Jacket, Cadet Rose?"

"S-sir! A Barrier Jacket is a mage's last line of defense! It's a- a _field_ type defense that dampens incoming attacks and environmental effects."

"Good answer, cadet!" Nanoha spun in place to face her. "The purpose of this exercise is to develop the judgment needed to invoke the appropriate defense against incoming attacks. You are to _hold your position,_ and use the proper defensive spell against the attacks being sent toward you. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir! Bardiche, are you ready?"

" _Compatibility optimized. Magilink interface online at forty five percent base. Get set."_

"Excellent. Raising Heart!"

" _Yes, my master!"_

"Divine shooter!"

* * *

"I wouldn't have guessed her the type," Ironwood commented, watching as the first bolts of pink magic detonated on Ruby's glyph-like shield, "but Takamachi is a regular drill sergeant up there."

"Nanoha had just graduated from Aerial Tactical Instructor Corps a few months before the _Arthra's_ last deployment. Her own instructor is still fresh in her mind, I'm certain." Lindy sipped her tea, unphased as a blast of power washed the stands in light. "My, my. Ruby just layered Round Shields to block a Divine Buster.

Next to her, Fate made a face. "If Nanoha was focused on winning and not teaching, she'd hit Ruby with a bind first."

"You're just salty that Nanoha doesn't play nice with you, Testarossa." Signum didn't grin, but the sardonic amusement in her tone was plain as day. Lindy couldn't help but laugh.

" _Accel Shooter!"_ Nanoha voice rang out over the cheers and exclamations from the stands. Lindy sipped her tea.

"Here we go."

* * *

Ruby tumbled through the air, one hand pressed to the back of her head. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought it was Nora's _Magnhild_ that had caught her, not a single one of Nanoha's shooter bolts.

"Cadet Rose, _what did you do wrong there?"_

She shook her head clear. "Sir! I was not able to bring up shields fast enough to block all your shooter bolts!"

`Nanoha drifted in front of her, arms crossed over her chest and _Raising Heart_ dangling easily from one hand. The scowl on her face was _legendary,_ and her lips set in a thin line for a moment. "While not the answer I was looking for, I am forced to acknowledge that you are _technically correct._ Cadet Rose, when being assaulted on all sides the proper defensive measure is a barrier spell. _Why didn't you use Defenser?"_

"Because my linker core's not strong enough to maintain Defenser's integrity against sustained bombardment from you, sir! Use of pinpoint shields was my only tactically viable option!"

" _Affirmative."_

From the stands, they heard Vita shout. "Nanoha, a _military bunker_ can't withstand a sustained assault from you!"

"Is that so?" Nanoha flitted back and up until there were a dozen yards between them, looking down from above. "Then I'm going to have to demonstrate the difference between an exercise and tactical viability.

* * *

"Raising Heart! Excelion Mode!"

" _Yes, my master!"_

"Oh, no." Fate covered her face, watching through her fingers. Ruby threw out her hand, and round shields layered themselves between her and Nanoha, a half dozen spinning circles.

Summer glanced at her, concern evident in her glowing eyes. "What?"

"Nanoha's making a point."

"Divine buster! Break _shoot!"_

* * *

"Nya~haha, I think I may have overdone it." Nanoha's settled to the ground, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Her voice was back to its normal tone, instead of the strident bark of a drill sergeant.

"What was your first clue?!" Weiss had to wave her hand in front of her face to ward off the dust, climbing down into the _crater_ left in the training arena's floor to retrieve her teammate. "What was that even _for?"_

Ruby's coughing let her find the girl quickly enough, and when her hands found fabric she felt Ruby jerk, grabbing onto her arm. "Wha- what just happened? Weiss, is that you?"

"It's me. Come on, let's get you out of here."

"What _happened?_ I was putting up round shields, and then- there was just _pink,_ and…" Ruby wobbled upright, and Weiss pulled the girl's arm over her shoulders to help her stand. Together they staggered up the sloping edge of the crater. By the time they got to level ground the dust was beginning to settle, and they were greeted by the sight of Professor Goodwitch laying into Nanoha verbally, quoting terms like 'inappropriate use of force'.

Weiss guided Ruby toward a bench, trying to ignore the developing argument behind her. _Different instruction styles. Nanoha is a soldier, Professor Goodwitch is a teacher._

* * *

" _...head of Vale Emergency Response Services has stated that the disaster relief operations in the affected region of Vale have shifted their primary focus from rescue to recovery. He has also stated that any assistance from civilians is still appreciated, but to please contact your local disaster relief center for coordination."_

The news anchor turned in her chair, flawlessly shifting her gaze to a new camera angle. " _In related news, the spokesman for a new Faunus relations group, one Richard Xerxes, released a press statement in response to the White Fang's terrible assault on Vale."_

The image changed, resolving into a tall, well-built man with lion ears half hidden in his well-groomed, mane-like brown hair. His clothes were smeared with char and concrete powder, and in the street behind him emergency crews could be seen clearing debris from a collapsed building front. " _Ten years ago, the White Fang was a noble movement dedicated to the betterment of Faunus rights across all of Remnant. Now, however, they are nothing more than a terrorist group, and their actions here in Vale have demonstrated that for the world to see."_

He turned, gesturing broadly at the devastation. " _They no longer seek equality; they seek domination. If they cannot achieve that, they seek destruction. They would widen the divide between Humankind and Faunuskind, to make the world over decide that we are all the monsters they portray. To this my organization, Bastion, says_ this shall not stand.

" _To the White Fang, I tell you this; we are your foe. Where you rise in your hatred and bigotry, we will be there; implacable. When you try to hurt those who would just live their lives, we will be the shield that stops you. You have shown your true face this day, but you do not represent Faunuskind._

" _To all of humanity, I give you this message; we are not your enemies. We would be your friends and allies. We would work with you, beside you,_ together _to lift all of us above the horrors perpetrated by discrimination and hostility."_

The screen blinked again, reverting to Lisa Lavender's ever-unimpressed facade. " _There you have it. Will this new Faunus organization be the key to better relations between our people and the Faunus? Or will they fail like others before them? Or worse yet, will they become the very thing they claim to hate? Only time will tell."_

With a tap of his finger, Ozpin killed the feed, waiting. He wasn't disappointed; only a moment or two later, his scroll started buzzing in his hands. Recognizing the caller, he held it to his ear. "Mr. Xerxes. I see that you have thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak."

" _I did. I admit it wasn't as clean and as diplomatic as I wanted it to be, but the timing made the statement necessary. It figures that Lavender had to be so inflammatory afterword."_

"Indeed. The media's craving for ratings means that they will turn anything into a subject of heated debate. It can be irritating at the best of times, and crippling at the worst."

" _They asked me about those super-huntsmen that showed up during the battle, too. The rumor mills are buzzing all over about them."_

"I am aware. I assume this is not a courtesy call, Mr. Xerxes?"

" _You aren't going to be able to put the reporters off forever, Headmaster. But yes, down to business. As you so succinctly put it, I've thrown down the gauntlet. The White Fang will be gunning for us, as much as we're aiming for them. I'd like to talk to you about the first steps of Academy support for my people."_

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. "What do you have in mind?"

" _Material logistics we can handle on our own, at least so far. But my people don't have the training to make the best use of the gear we use. We need combat training, Headmaster. If we're going to be able to fight and win, we need to have a leg up on the enemy."_

"Understandable. Give me some time to speak with my professors and the other headmasters, and I will have an answer for you soon."

" _Thank you. Also, one more thing. A close associate of mine has recovered a person of interest. I would like to transfer her to your custody as soon as possible."_

That made his eyebrows raise a little. "I see. If you would prefer, I can send trusted personnel to assist in the transfer."

* * *

"Admiral on site!"

Lindy returned the salute quickly, striding through the checkpoint into the _Arthra's_ hangar. "At ease, Captain."

"Ma'am." Captain Raytheon lowered his arm, falling into step behind her. "How are things Academy side?"

"Not nearly as bad as they could be. Galant is nearly recovered from his injuries, and is back on light duty." The commanding officer of Mage Team Beta was a good leader, always balancing professionalism with concern for his subordinates. Lindy took the moment to assure him before moving on. "The VIPs made it here without incident?"

"Yes, ma'am. The software updates on the datapad Aria delivered are being installed as we speak. In the absence of a functional drive core, we're attempting to interface a Lightning Dust generator with our comm equipment. Specialist Schnee is proving to be an absolute godsend with her knowledge of Dust mechanics."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear, Captain. Do we have an ETA on operational capacity?"

"As far as I understand it, the array should be ready for its first activation attempt momentarily. The crew is… hopeful, ma'am. Morale is higher than it has been since Miss Rose threw that party for us."

"Well if it won't be a problem then, I would like to be there for the activation." Lindy flashed a grin at the captain, and got a small smile in response.

The interior of the _Arthra_ was still dark; even the red emergency lights lining the hallways were off. Raytheon led the way, using his storage device to generate a lantern-like glow. It felt oddly strange for Lindy to follow him through the corridors; the _Arthra_ had been home for over a decade now, but she was surprised to feel a little bit alienated by the unadorned metal walls. _Hm. Civilian life, cover story though it may be, seems to have left a mark on me._

The bridge, when they reached it, was filled with activity. Battery-powered work lights cast harsh white light across the spherical chamber, spaced widely enough to eliminate any hint of shadows. The main communications console was wide open, protective panels removed from the sides to let several of the _Arthra's_ technicians tinker around with the innards. A half-dozen more crewmembers were checking connections to the ship's comm array.

In the center of the chamber, large device of obviously Remnant technology had been erected. It stood nearly as tall as Lindy, box-like, with translucent panels along the sides glowing a dim blue color. Winter Schnee was lying on her back underneath it, her uniform discarded for grease-smeared overalls and a tank top. Lindy could hear a ratchet grinding in time with her motions. "Come on you- there!"

Lindy let the amused smile stay on her face as the specialist hauled herself out from underneath the generator. "We're plugged in and ready to- Admiral Harlaown!" Winter scrambled to her feet, offering a salute which Lindy returned.

"No need to stand on ceremony, Ms. Schnee. You just said things are ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The chief engineer caught her attention, drawing her over to the comm console and offering her the seat. "We're ready to go live. Would you like to do the honors, Admiral?"

"If you insist." Lindy sat down, taking a moment to make sure her uniform jacket was straight. The engineers threw a few switches; the console let out a few snaps and hisses, and for a moment there was the odor of burning dust. Then the displays started to warm up, glowing with power for the first time in months.

With only a little bit of show, the chief engineer handed her a physical microphone. "FTL comms are still down, but this should be able to transmit to orbit. We're set to broadcast and receive on the TSAB G-band. She's all yours, Admiral."

Lindy didn't let her trepidation show. _This is only the first attempt, after all. I'm sure there are a lot of bugs to work out in interfacing a Dust generator with the ship's power systems._ She pressed her thumb down on the transmit button, holding the microphone to her lips. "This is _Arthra,_ broadcasting live. _Warding Gesture,_ are you receiving, over."

For a few long heartbeat there was nothing. Then the speakers crackled harshly, and a staticky but familiar voice came over the line. "Arthra _, this is_ Warding Gesture, _reading you. Good to hear your voice, Lindy."_

The relief that flooded through her was tangible, and she felt the weight of weeks of worry slide off her slumping shoulders. Two months of uncertainty that she hadn't allowed herself to show finally started to drain away. "It's good to hear your voice, Gil."

* * *

 _I hate guard duty._

Still, she kept her grumbling to herself, arms folded over her chest and watching as Team STRQ bustled about in the weapon maintenance room. Taiyang was leaning against the wall next to her, and as much as he was trying to hide it she could see the discontent there.

Summer and Raven had taken over two of the stations, their respective weapons stripped down to pieces and scattered over the tabletops. Raven's oodachi was an impressive piece of work, Vita had to admit. The sword's cylindrical scabbard held over _two dozen_ telescoping blades, each one alloyed with a given flavor of Dust. The detachable blades were designed to be disposable; an appropriately Aura-empowered strike would activate the Dust worked into the metal, detonating the length in a shaped explosion of fire or lightning or whatever the specific blade was made from.

Summer's weapon was a pair of hand-scythes, attached to lengthy chains that bolted to her bracers, and each one sported a fitting for vials of powdered Dust. ' _They're my Lovely Companions',_ the woman said when Vita had asked what they were called. Simpler than Raven's sword, but just as deadly in their own way.

A discard bin between their stations was filled with bits and pieces of the huntress' weapons; individual links of heavy chain, gears from the oodachi's intricate revolver mechanism, and other odd scraps. Slow wear would take their toll on even the most hardy equipment, and this was the first chance in a decade to bring their weapons back up to perfect condition.

They were also arguing quietly with Qrow. Summer and Raven wanted to strike back against the _Grimm Queen Salem,_ having quietly and carefully built a list of targets over the years; corrupted officials in the four kingdoms, compromised infrastructure that was either willingly or unwillingly feeding resources into her goals, and much more. Qrow was strenuously advising _against_ acting rashly and quickly, but it was clear to Vita that the two huntresses were of like mind.

"Look," Qrow was saying, "I _understand_ where you're coming from. One way or the other, you're finally out in the open. The secret's out, and you want to move while they're still reeling. I get it. But _now?_ _Seriously?"_

"Yes, seriously! Their forces are still scattered all over Remnant, and we've got the chance to take some of them out now before they can regroup! The timing couldn't be better, Qrow!" Summer slid a vial of Burn Dust home with a satisfying _click._

"Summer, for fuck's sake! You _just_ popped back into our lives, into _Ruby and Yang's_ lives! Are you really saying the best thing you can do right now is to just _vanish?_ You'll tear their hearts right out of their chests! Again!"

Summer flinched as if struck, then fixed Qrow with a glare through the glow around her eyes. "That was a low blow, Branwen."

"Yeah, and I'm also _right."_ Qrow crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, three sharp taps. Ignoring Raven's scrambling as she reached for one of her blades, Vita turned and opened the door. "Chrono."

Chrono nodded to her as he stepped through. "Vita. Anything to report?"

The room had gone silent. "Nothing important. The girls are chomping at the bit to take the fight to the enemy, Qrow's telling them why that's a bad idea." She could see Raven was on her feet and glaring at her, jaw clenched. "Sit down, Deadbeat. I've gotten the stink eye from scarier than you."

"Yagami." Chrono gave her one short glance out of the corner of his eye. _Speaking of the devil._

Vita shrugged and let it go, leaning back against the wall. "Right, right. Don't antagonize the locals."

Chrono shook his head, turning toward STRQ. "I'm afraid that I have news that is going to render this discussion moot. Ms. Rose, you can confirm that the Maiden power allows for manipulation of weather conditions, correct?"

"I… yes. I can generate cold weather; blizzards and snowstorms, bitter cold, anything you would experience during the winter months. The other maidens would be able to create weather that you would expect to see during their respective seasons."

"Can you _counter_ another Maiden's weather manipulations? Because I just received word that the hurricane over Patch is strengthening again, and is once again moving toward Vale's coast."

Summer cursed, looking away for a moment. "...yes, I can. But I'll have to remain in the area during the entire time. If Briar and Yasmine are working together, I can blunt the storm but I won't be able to stop it completely."

Chrono nodded. "Vita. Stick with Summer Rose. I'll shake Nanoha loose from training Ruby to work with you. Where Ms. Rose goes, you follow. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir!" Vita threw a happy salute, grinning. It was always good to be paired with Nanoha; they made a great team, after all. "Who's going to be to be working with Ruby?"

"I'll take up the slack for the moment. Once the twins are back from the _Arthra,_ I'll let them take over."

* * *

When Emerald woke up, the first thing she noticed was the tightness of restraints around her wrists and ankles. The second thing she noticed was a firm, _almost_ uncomfortable mattress underneath her, her head resting on a foam pillow. The smell of antiseptic suffused the air, giving her an idea of where she was.

To her left, she heard the faint sound of paper sliding over paper. Trying to stay as still as possible, she cracked her eye open and glanced to the side. Yuuno Scrya was sitting in a chair there, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and reading from a thick textbook.

With some trepidation, she glanced to the right. Arf Harlaown was sitting on the opposite side of her bed, glaring at her; there was the faintest hint of teeth visible behind her lips, and Emerald could _feel_ the growl rumbling from her throat.

Scrya flipped the page without looking up. "Arf, be nice."

The faunus girl snorted, crossing her arms and leaning back. "She's awake, Yuuno."

"I'm aware."

 _Shit._

"Sustrai." Yuuno slid a bookmark into the text, then closed it and set it aside. "How are you feeling?"

Emerald let her eyes open fully. Centered on the ceiling tiles was the crossed axe sigil of Beacon Academy, confirming all too clearly exactly where she was. "...what happened?"

"Someone found you badly injured in the sewer system underneath Vale's commercial district, very close to the terrorist breach. You were brought here. I imagine you understand why." There was a small pause. "Why did Mercury Black attack you, Emerald?"

"I don't know what you're talking abo-"

A plastic bag flew into her field of view, dropping down toward her chest. Emerald flinched back, steeling herself for the pain-

-that never came. The baggy hit her chest with a thump, but all she felt was the weight of it landing. "Collapsed ribcage from a kick to the chest, and Shamal spent half an hour pulling these out of your lungs." Arf came into her field of view, snatching the bag back and holding it over her eyes. Inside were dozens of tiny steel pellets. "Pull the other leg, Sustrai. It's got bells on it."

"You're lucky to be alive," Scrya said. "Mercury tried to kill you."

Emerald squeezed her eyes shut, pulling fitfully at the leather straps holding her arms down. They didn't budge at all; they didn't even stretch. "Why do I feel so _weak?"_

She heard the door open. "Because I put a limiter on you, Emerald." Emerald raised her head to see Shamal Yagami walk into the room, tapping industriously at a window of light that hovered next to her, following her as she moved. "Your linker core, the part of you that is the source of your Aura, is restrained."

Emerald stayed silent, not trusting herself to say anything. The sense of _wrongness_ creeping through her limbs, like cold molasses, became all too apparent. She didn't dare speak for the fear that was fighting to tear its way out of her throat, knowing that if she let it win she wouldn't stop screaming. Her hands shook, hard enough to make the bed's frame squeak and complain.

Shamal watched her for a moment, unreadable. "I will be blunt, Emerald. You are in the custody of the Time Space Administrative Bureau. The only reason you will leave this room will be to go where we take you. You will be going to trial; not before a jury of your peers, but before a military tribunal that will hear the facts of the incident you have been part of, and that will render judgment accordingly. Whether you are punished strictly or are granted some form of leniency will be dependent entirely on whether or not you decide to cooperate with us in the investigation and capture of Cinder Fall.

"Make no mistake, Emerald. It is only a matter of time before we find her. Your cooperation will be appreciated, but is it not required." Shamal waved a hand through the panel of light before her, and it vanished. "Do you understand what I have told you?"

Emerald let her head fall back onto the pillow, feeling her lips draw into a line. She gave a short, sharp nod.

"Good. Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown will be here within the hour to question you." Shamal turned for the door, but paused at the threshold. "I suggest you think very hard on your next decisions, Emerald. The TSAB will judge you fairly, as long as you give them reason to do so."

The door closed behind her.

* * *

"You are certain that you''ll be able to keep the storm at bay, Ms. Rose?"

Ozpin's office was just like Summer remembered it, except for one glaring detail. His glass-topped desk, the surface of which was hardlinked to the CCTS tower's systems, had been moved away from the center of the circular room, pushed against a wall and a cloth draped over it. In its place was a simple wooden desk.

Outside the windows, the sky was still clear and blue. Summer couldn't yet see the approaching storm bands, but she could feel them tugging at the back of her mind; antithetical, purely in opposition to the Maiden's power nestled in her core. "Once it's closer, yes. It's still a little outside of my… range? I can't manipulate it from here. Probably another day or so." Summer put a hand on the curving window. "It would be best if I do so from the highest place that I can. You don't mind me, uh… shacking up in here, do you?"

"Not at all. I will have some basic furniture moved up here for the comfort of you and your guardians." Ozpin nodded toward Raven; the huntress was doing her absolute best to ignore the two TSAB mages Chrono had assigned.

Flashes of light caught Summer's eye. Curving through the air was a streak of bright blue, being followed close behind by another streak of energetic red. Squinting, she could make out figures; Chrono Harlaown and Ruby.

It looked like a game of _tag,_ or a race _._ The two arced and dived through the air, faster than cars could drive on flat road. They dipped out of sight, and a moment later surged back into view, Ruby now in the lead. Even from a hundred feet away, Summer could see the sheer joy and excitement on her daughter's face.

She felt Nanoha walked up behind her. "Maneuverability training," the mage said, her smile obvious in her voice. "It looks like she's really enjoying herself. The freedom of the open sky, it does that. I don't know what I'd do without it, honestly."

Summer nodded slowly. "It's strange, you know."

"What is?"

"The power of flight. It's… you have to understand, it's _alien_ to us. Only the Maidens have ever had the capability to fly under their own power. A month ago, I would have _dreaded_ seeing Ruby being able to do so, because it would have meant that she was a Maiden herself." She laughed, a hollow sound. "Which also would have likely meant that I'd be dead myself, but that's beside the point."

"With all the stigma attached to it, you mean. Being hunted for your power."

"Exactly."

The game ended a few moments later, and then Ruby caught sight of them through the window. She flew over to hover outside, smiling breathlessly and pressing her hands against the glass. Summer couldn't hear her through the curved pane, but the intent was obvious. _Come fly with me!_

"Can I? Is it really that… simple?" Summer bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder.

Vita had already shouldered _Graf Eisen,_ and _Raising Heart_ gleamed brightly in Nanoha's hands. Raven pursed her lips, but didn't dissuade her. Ozpin simply gave her a nod and a faint smile.

Her trembling hands found the latch, and she slid the window open. Chill gusts of winter power buoyed her, and she leapt out into the open air. Ruby swept up next to her, grabbing her hand, and together they shot up into the blue sky.

The rushing wind made her eyes water, but it couldn't steal the laughter from her lips. For the first time in her life, Summer flew freely, simply for the joy of it.

* * *

It was very rare that James Ironwood actually _sat_ in the command chair of his personal cruiser. Admittedly, he was not the captain of the vessel; that position belonged to a trusted subordinate, and James didn't like to step on the man's toes when he didn't need to. Also, he tended to work standing up. _Practice as one means to continue,_ as the saying went, and he took the saying to heart and preferred to think on his feet.

As such, it was a common sight to see James pacing back and forth on the bridge of his cruiser, typically with a datapad in his hand as he kept himself up to date on Blue Squadron's reports. Today was no exception, as he tabbed through and approved bulk equipment requisitions; ammunition resupply forms, repair and replacement requests for damaged and destroyed knights, and reshuffling duty squads to take into account the injured. The Battle for Vale had left its mark on the fleet as well as the city itself, in its own way.

The endless cycle of battle-readiness.

"General Ironwood," the communications officer called for his attention, "Priority one missive from White Squadron."

White Squadron was the name for the Atlas Fleet assets dedicated to Schnee Dust Company primary interests. Normally that squadron was stationed at Atlas proper, but for very specific reasons White Squadron would deploy in force.

Where Geffroy Schnee went, White Squadron followed. The CEO of the Atlas Military's primary arms supplier deserved no less than that. "Put it through to my scroll."

"Yes, sir."

James waited for the encryption to decipher, reading the message once it appeared. _White Squadron requests confirmation that Vale airspace is secure. ETA two hours._ "Son of a _bitch."_

"Sir?"

"General Slate is up to his usual games." _Is a little advanced warning too much to ask for? You've always been an asshole, Slate._ "Patch me through to the Vale Council and Headmaster Ozpin both, please. Main screen."

"Yes, sir." The comm officer turned back to his console, tapping in commands, and the forward screen's display of Blue Squadron's relative positions blanked out. Moments later it was replaced by a split screen.

The trio of Vale's council members backlit by bright lights, as usual. _Always playing for theatrics, I swear. It's not like I don't know who you all are._ The other side of the screen connected as well, showing Ozpin's face. "Headmaster, Council members. I apologize for the short timeframe, but I have been informed that Atlesian Fleet assets are enroute to Vale airspace. They're expecting to cross the border in two hours time."

" _We did not put in a request for additional Atlas support, General Ironwood,"_ one of the council members said. " _Why does Atlas feel the need to reinforce your position?"_ Ozpin, for his part, was silent, content to listen for the moment.

"The assets in question are designated as White Squadron; two cruisers and their attached support vessels dedicated to Schnee Dust Company escort operations. I can only assume that we can expect a visit from the SDC's CEO himself. As soon as his business in Vale is concluded, the squadron will return to Atlas."

" _Regardless, Vale will be expressing its displeasure with the lack of diplomatic effort put forth by Atlas today. Thank you for the warning, General Ironwood."_ The Council half of the screen went black as they disconnected.

Ozpin stayed on the line, pursing his lips. " _I can think of very few reasons for Geffroy Schnee to travel overseas, James."_

"You and me both, Oz. I'll give her the heads up."

* * *

Weiss nearly dropped her scissors when her scroll chimed loudly, rattling in place on the bathroom counter. She set the scissors down, picking up her scroll and reading the screen.

 _Blue One? Who the hell is Blue One?_ With a flick of her thumb, she let the call connect and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

" _Ms. Schnee? This is General Ironwood."_

Weiss' eyes widened, and the social training she'd been subjected to for most of her life took over. "Ah- hello, General. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

" _I'm afraid there's no pleasure to be had here, Ms. Schnee. I'm calling to warn you that your father is expected to arrive in Vale in two hours. You're the only reason Headmaster Ozpin and I can think of that he would bother to come all this way."_

Weiss felt the blood drain out of her face, and her grip on her scroll tightened enough that the frame complained in her ear. "I- I see. Thank you for the courtesy, General Ironwood. If you'll excuse me, I need to-" _No, no no. He's coming to take me home._ "-to prepare for his arrival."

" _I understand, Ms. Schnee. You understand that, officially, my hands are tied. But, whatever you decide to do, you have my full_ personal _support, for whatever it's worth."_

"Th-thank you. I mean that. Have a good day, General Ironwood."

" _Have a good day, Ms. Schnee."_

For a moment after the call disconnected, Weiss still held the scroll against her ear. The next moment the device was sailing through the open bathroom door, propelled along with her strangled scream to impact against the far wall of the dorm. "NO! No, I won't- I'm a student at _Beacon,_ I'm here of my own-"

She brought her hands up to her face, feeling the first hot tears and knowing they were making a mess of her makeup. Through her fingers, she could see herself in the mirror. Her hair was down, freshly washed; she'd finally been about to trim off the tips that had been singed by Holika and Briar's flames. "I'm… coming to Beacon was _my_ choice, not yours. You can't- you can't take this away from me. You _won't."_

Words the like of which she'd spoken in before. Always in private, always in the safety of her own room where the manor's servants, or Dust forbid her own father would never hear. Words that always trailed away to whispers in the back of her mind, rattling about unheeded whenever her father would tell her what was coming next.

 _Not this time. I'm not your biddable_ daughter _anymore! I'm-_ "I'm a _huntress,_ and that's _all_ I want to be."

Her hands found the scissors again.

* * *

Zafira was on his feet, shifting to human form in an instant to answer the door. Peering through the peephole, he raised an eyebrow and let the door open. "Weiss. Can I help you?"

Weiss nodded, giving her jacket a sharp tug as she stepped into the room. Zafira could detect the lingering salt of tears, but behind her bangs her eyes were clear and bright, if a little red. "Yes. I know you're… _busy_ with staying near Hayate, but… I need your services, Zafira. If you could please."

Hayate waved at her from her desk, smiling. "It's fine, Zafira. Signum's around, she can take over for a little while since you four _insist_ on having one of you near me at all times now."

"Yes, Mistress Hayate." Zafira turned back to her, ignoring Weiss' perked eyebrow. "What would you have of me, Weiss?"

Weiss gave her head a shake, and produced a One-Lien card. "I need you to accept this payment from me and enter into a formal bodyguard contract. I'm not trying to insult your sensibilities by assuming you would ever require payment, but I _need_ to pay you to make it official."

That brought him up short. Zafira tilted his head, and plucked the card from Weiss' fingers. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back at her. "What in the world would you need to _officially contract_ my services for?"

"My father-" Weiss closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Zafira smelled the change in her scent as her nervousness spiked for a moment. "My father is coming to Beacon. I know my father, the only reason he'd be coming here would be to make me go back to Atlas with him. I need to show him that I am not only capable of making my own decisions, but able to procure protection better than anything he can provide. Even if it's just a ruse."

Zafira rumbled out a laugh, taking the moment to slide the card into his wallet. "I accept the contract you are offering, Weiss Schnee. Where you go, I will follow, and you will not go anywhere that you do not wish to."

Weiss let out another breath, but this one was of pure relief. "Thank you, Zafira."

"A moment, if you will."

"What do you-" Weiss stepped back in surprise as Zafira glowed white. He didn't get any taller, but his form bulked out visibly as he reverted to his 'natural' age. "O-oh. I forgot you were that… _big_ when we first met."

"If I am going to be your bodyguard, I should fully look the part." Zafira nodded to her, gesturing out the door. "Lead the way."

Weiss nodded, and turned to leave. Zafira followed her down the hall, and for just a moment he glanced at the bare skin of her neck. "If I may ask, why did you-"

"To make statements, Zafira. Just like having you with me will be."

* * *

The crater in the floor had been repaired thanks to Professor Goodwitch, and the precipitation of pinkish Dust that had resulted from Nanoha's over-exuberant lessons had been swept away and secured in hazard canisters for further research. Once again, the training arena was spotless and pristine, ready for students to use. As such, Jaune had been caught short when he found the massive chamber empty. Team JNPR was the only team present.

No one really felt like _sparring,_ though, and the four of them were sitting in the center of the arena in a loose circle. _Crocea Mors_ stayed idle in its scabbard, _Milo_ and _Akouo_ sat quietly on Pyrrha's back, _Stormflower_ remained hidden in Ren's sleeves, and Nora was sitting on _Magnhild's_ head.

The little berserkette was wearing a surprisingly pensive expression, her brow furrowed while she rolled a training grenade back and forth between her hands.

Ren actually reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You okay, Nora?"

"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm totally okay. Right as rain! Doesn't even hurt!" She slapped herself on the belly, putting on a grin.

Pyrrha caught Jaune's eye, pursing her lips. He shrugged a little helplessly, but decided to chime in. "...are you sure? That was… that was a hell of a fight we were just in. We almost died, all of us."

Nora's fidgeting stilled, and she huffed out a sigh and held out her hand, fingers spread. "My hands won't stop shaking. I don't like it."

Jaune and Pyrrha both quietly held out their hands in response, their fingers trembling visibly. "You're not alone there, Nora. It hit us all pretty hard." _Nora slept through Pyrrha having a nightmare last night. Ren probably noticed, though._

The four of them fell silent, and for a moment there wasn't any sound. Then the silence _shattered,_ straining guitar riffs echoing through the room. "That's no way to be, kids!"

They all jerked their heads toward the entrance. Reinforce was flying toward them, her tiny blue book floating next to her and blasting out music as loudly as a stereo system. "C'mon, Team JNPR! Up and at 'em!"

"What do you mean, Rein?" Pyrrha blinked, having to crane her neck a little to follow the doll-sized girl's flight.

"I mean you can't let something like this get you down! Yes it's scary, but you're all strong people! You just gotta get back on the horse!" She flew a wide circle around them, pumping her arm to the heavy drum beats coming from her book. "Let's do a lap! Follow meee~!"

The tiny girl's cheer was infectious. Nora grinned a little, tapping her foot to the beat, and then shot to her feet. Pyrrha laughed, and Jaune couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He stood, bounced on his toes, and reached down to grab Pyrrha's offered hands and pull her to her feet.

He pulled a little too hard in his enthusiasm, and Pyrrha was airborne for a moment, laughing even louder when her feet touched the ground. Jaune grinned at her and took off after Reinforce, waving the others along. "All right, then. C'mon, team! A lap it is!"

* * *

Ruby had come to a conclusion regarding true magical flight.

It was the most liberating feeling she'd ever experienced. While not quite as _fast_ as her semblance, the sheer freedom of motion was unparalleled, and the feeling of actual wind on her face and tugging at her clothes was something that her semblance had always spared her from experiencing. It was a joy like few things she'd experienced before.

It was also _tiring,_ and she could feel exhaustion spreading through her limbs. With a bit more effort than she was expecting, she arrested her forward motion and alighted atop the very peak of the dorm building, waving to her mom and Vita and Nanoha as they peeled off to fly back to Headmaster Ozpin's office. _Gonna have to get better at managing my power, I can't fly and fight at the same time for very long._

With a sigh of relief, she sat down on the peak of the roof, enjoying the view across Beacon's campus. She could see students scattered far below, and realized that some of them had been watching her fly the entire time. _I hope I'm not making people jealous._ Still, when some of them realized she was looking down at them, they waved, and she cheerfully returned the favor.

 _Bardiche_ rested across her knees, the gem flashing brightly in the afternoon sun. "How'd I do?" She asked the device.

" _Flight performance acceptable given Linker Core output. Mage Rank A minus prowess is possible with time and practice."_

"Rank A! That's really good, right? What rank is Fate?"

" _Sir is listed as Mage Rank S plus."_

"So I've only got like, one or two ranks to go, right?" Ruby let out a cheer, thrusting one arm into the air.

" _Negative. All ranks have plus and minus modifiers. Rank A, Double A, Triple A, S, Double S, Triple S. No known mages in TSAB space have achieved the rank of Triple S."_

"Oh. But A minus rank is still really good?"

" _Yes, sir."_

Ruby let herself be satisfied with that. _After all, not everyone can be a super-detective from space! And Fate's one of the best out there._ She hummed to herself, watching the airships as they launched and landed at Beacon's airdocks.

Ruby blinked. There were two _Atlesian Battlecruisers_ approaching the airdock, flanking an extravagant civilian vessel. They weren't the ones that had been floating around the city for weeks now; they bore different markings, and when _Bardiche_ helpfully magnified the image in her barrier jacket's visor, she could see they were designated _White One_ and _White Two._ "Huh. What's going on down there?"

Ruby set her eyes on the civilian airship as it broke formation and settled toward the airdock tarmac. _Bardiche_ magnified the view again, and the insignia of the Schnee Dust Company jumped into focus.

More importantly than that, waiting near the tarmac she could see two tiny figures; Zafira and Weiss. "What in- Bardiche, drop the interlink and switch to, uh, switch to Alloy form!"

" _Yes, sir."_

* * *

It was a fantastic, clear day, perfect for sitting out in the open and enjoying the weather. _Probably the last one for a while, with that fucking storm coming in._ Qrow was content to sit on his bench and flip through the news on his scroll, watching the airships come and go.

The fact that Geffroy Schnee's personal transport was coming in for a landing had _absolutely_ nothing to do with it. Not at all.

The fact that Weiss Schnee was waiting for it to land with Zafira standing next to her didn't have anything to do with it either. Qrow had been sitting there for half an hour already, after all.

The fact that his scroll was innocuously pointed in their direction and set to record didn't have anything to do with it either.

Looking a bit more closely at the landing transport, Qrow snorted in mild amusement. _That's not the_ Northern Light. _Papa Schnee upgraded again, I see._

The ramp unfolded as the entry hatch opened, and Geffroy Schnee's personal bodyguards stepped out first. There were four of them, all displaying the strict military professionalism of Atlesian veterans It was common knowledge that Geffroy Schnee filled his entourage with specialists that had finished their tours of duty and had moved into the private sector. Only the best for someone of his importance, after all.

When Geffroy himself emerged from the airship's interior and reached the bottom of the ramp, flanked by his four bodyguards, it was clear that he expected his daughter to close the distance and come to him. Weiss held her ground, hands clasped behind her back and chin tilted up the slightest bit. At her shoulder, Zafira could well have been made of stone for all that he moved.

It was a standoff, right from the start. Qrow double-checked to make sure his scroll was recording. Zoomed in and focused on Geffroy's, he caught every miniscule twitch of the man's cheek as his eyes flicked from Weiss to Zafira. After nearly thirty seconds of waiting, he tapped his left foot three times.

Qrow flicked the focus to Weiss. The Heiress paled ever so slightly, but pretended she hadn't seen the tiny show of impatience. _Thatta girl,_ Qrow silently cheered.

Finally, after nearly a minute of waiting, Geffroy started striding across the tarmac toward her. His bodyguards fell into formation around him, all four watching Zafira with expressions of caution and distaste. Apparently they shared Mr. Schnee's views on faunus.

He came to a stop a few paces from his daughter, and for a moment his eyes fixed on her hair. Once again thankful that Ozpin had gotten him one of the higher quality models, Qrow keyed the directional mic on his scroll.

"Weiss."

"Father. Welcome to Beacon."

"We are not staying, Weiss." His voice held no room for arguing, and the _we_ very much implied Weiss as well, Qrow could tell.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Father. Beacon's amenities are quite satisfactory. Are you sure you can't stay for a period of time?" She _deliberately_ misunderstood the intent behind her father's words, excluding herself from his statement.

Geffroy looked down at her, frowning. "You are coming home with me, Weiss. Don't worry about your belongings, I will send someone to fetch them."

Weiss pursed her lips, taking a small breath and letting it out. "But I am enrolled at Beacon, Father. I can't leave without irreparably damaging my academic standing."

There was a _thump_ on the back of the bench Qrow was sitting on. He held up a hand, motioning to _keep quiet._

"Headmaster Ozpin will be informed that I am withdrawing your enrollment and will receive due compensation for the time and effort he and his staff have wasted."

Weiss' eyes flashed a spark of real anger, and her cheeks flushed the slightest bit. "Then I will pay for my own tuition and continue my studies at this academy, as you _agreed_ to let me after I passed the _test_ you gave me."

"With _my_ money, you mean?" Geffroy actually crossed his arms, finally glancing at Zafira. Qrow noted with some pleasure that the man couldn't actually look down at Weiss' companion; the familiar was quite simply too tall. "Begone from here. This is family business."

Zafira's response was short, to the point, and final. "No."

"Father," Weiss said, interrupting him before he could reply. "I would like to introduce you to Zafira Yagami, my personal bodyguard. He is under paid contract, using funds that I procured myself, to remain with me at all times until I see fit to discharge him from my service. Zafira, my father Geffroy Schnee, Chairman and CEO of the Schnee Dust Company."

"A pleasure," Zafira rumbled, his tone making it clear that he cared as much about the man in front of him as he would a piece of modern art; mildly interesting, but ultimately completely worthless to him.

Geffroy had the grace to not sneer, instead disregarding Zafira completely. "A _faunus,_ Weiss? I thought you knew better than that. It's only a matter of time before he turns on you like a rabid dog, like all the-"

"I am a wolf, not a dog, Chairman Geffroy Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company," Zafira said, as calmly as if discussing the weather.

Geffroy ignored him, actually striding forward to reach for Weiss' wrist. "Do not interrupt me, animal."

Weiss backed away, clearing her throat and raised her voice, cutting into the break in the discussion provided as deftly as if she was using _Myrtenaster._ "I will be staying at Beacon, Father. Since you are not supporting me in _my decision,_ I do not see the need to consider your input. Since you're so concerned about your _money,"_ she produced her family charge card and threw it at his feet, "you can rest assured that I won't be using it. I'll pay my own way-"

"Weiss, you are making a _grave mista-"_

" _-without_ your help, _without_ your approval, and you can do whatever you want with your precious company _without_ me!" Weiss' voice rose and rose until it was a shout, a strident yell, wild and unrestrained. "I am a _huntress,_ and you _will not take that from me!"_

She didn't give him the chance to say anything. She turned, putting her back to him, and drew a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. Then she walked back toward Beacon, head held high.

Geffroy Schnee cursed, and signaled his guards. Two of them broke from the group, following after Weiss. One of them grabbed her by the arm, arresting her motion.

Zafira slammed his gauntlets together, and a magic triangle expanded out underneath him in a flash. "Steel Yoke." Blades of white light erupted out of the tarmac, pincering around the limbs of both men that had chased after Weiss and lifting them off the ground. They shouted in surprise, struggling against the unyielding binds.

The other two bodyguards drew their weapons, but the familiar made no further motion. "Weiss is my charge, Geffroy Schnee. Any attempt to force her against her will is an action that will be taken as an assault against my charge, and I will respond accordingly."

The elder Schnee stared at him, narrowing his eyes. "You're the fake from those _tabloids._ How dare you emulate my family's Glyphs-"

"I assure you I am no fake, Geffroy Schnee, and your Glyphs have nothing to do with my own capabilities." Weiss had hurried away while Zafira kept her father busy, and with her clear of the area he let the binding lights holding the two guards dissipate. "I am giving you one opportunity to gather your accomplices and leave peacefully. Do not give me reason to rescind this generous offer."

The guards glanced at each other, and the one to the left of Geffroy gave a the barest shake of his head when the elder Schnee glanced at him. Qrow had to give the ex-soldier credit. _Someone's smart enough to know not to start a fight he can't finish._

For a moment, Geffroy looked like he'd bitten into an apple and found it full of worms. Another sharp signal of his hands had his guards forming up around him, and he stalked back to his airship with anger evident in every step. The look he cast back over his shoulder promised dire retribution, to which Zafira actually rolled his eyes.

It wasn't until the airship lifted off the tarmac that Zafira turned away. Qrow saved the file in his scroll, sliding it closed and slipping it into his pocket. Leaning back against the bench, he craned his head around and grinned. "How much of that were you here for, Ace?"

"Almost all of it! Holy Schneetzle that was amazing! I didn't know Weiss' dad was such an assss- _toundingly_ arrogant person!" Ruby bounced up and down, only her grip on the back of the bench keeping her from going airborne. "But she put her foot down and told him how it was and Zafira was like 'You're gonna have to go through me!' and it was _awesome_ and-"

"And she might have just severed all ties with her father, as much of an asshole as he may be. She probably really needs some support right now, Ruby."

Ruby's mouth fell open for a moment, then she snapped it shut and nodded vigorously. "Right! Right, I'll talk to you later Uncle Qrow bye!" She was gone in a flash, leaving Qrow brushing rose petals off his shoulders.

Qrow let himself chuckle for a moment, bringing his scroll back out and tapping out a message. He attached the video file to the message and sent it with a flourish. _I bet the Ice Queen will get a kick out of this one._

* * *

The rush of adrenaline had been left behind on the airfield tarmac beside the shreds of her inheritance. Its absence left Weiss shaking and numb, her feet carrying her without direction from the fog her mind was in.

She didn't even realize that she was standing outside her team's dorm room, staring at the door, until Zafira coughed into his fist. She started, blinking a few times before she was able to focus on him. "O-oh! Yes, uhm. Thank you for your time, Zafira. You don't need to keep following me around."

He rumbled low in his throat, frowning. "A man like that will not allow an embarrassment like this to stand unanswered. There will be consequences, both direct and indirect."

Weiss wasn't sure how to respond to that, and she swallowed. Her throat felt thick, her tongue didn't seem to want to work. "Are you… certain? I'm still his daughter."

He nodded slowly, considering his words. "I will be blunt, Weiss, because there is no easy way to say this. Your father is the type of individual to seek power, to demand obedience and respect. Your father is the type of individual," he repeated, "to which the Book of Darkness would have been drawn. He will not take this slight lightly, and you would do well to prepare for his eventual retaliations, in whatever form it comes."

Weiss bit her lip, lowering her gaze to the floor. It wasn't shame that bowed her head, but realization. _I just painted a target on myself, and on anyone with whom I associate._

Zafira's hand on her shoulder, surprisingly gentle, made her look up again. "You have friends in high places, Weiss Schnee, higher than your father even realizes is possible. More importantly, you have friends here with you that will support you without question. So do not fear needlessly."

Weiss threw her arms around Zafira, hugging him tightly. He barely reacted, not even breathing out hard from the force of it, but ruffled her hair with one hand. Weiss let out a watery laugh, stepping back and wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Zafira. Really, I mean it."

"Friends watch over friends." He nodded to her, then turned to walk toward his team's dorm.

Weiss waved her scroll over her dorm's lock and pushed the door open. There was a tripled _thud_ and a series of exclamations, a yelp of shock, and the sound of bodies falling to the floor.

With the door fully open, she saw Ruby and Blake and Yang all in a pile in front of her, rubbing their heads where the door had slammed into them.

Ruby was the first to look up. "W-weiss! This totally isn't what it looks like! We were all- uhm, you see, we were all just-"

Weiss ignored Ruby's stammering, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "You mean the three of you weren't eavesdropping through the door while Zafira and I talked about how my father is most likely going to try to ruin my life?"

Ruby stopped, sheepishly getting to her feet. "...y-yeah, okay it's what it looks like. Are you… okay?"

 _Am I okay?_ Weiss didn't answer immediately, chewing on her lip. Blake and Yang awkwardly stood as well, not daring to break the silence. _I just walked away from… everything. Should I be okay?_

After long moments, she had her answer. "No. No, I'm… I'm not okay. I feel… detached. I just told my father I don't want to be his daughter, and- and-"

The first tear finally slid down her cheek, and it was followed by more as her eyes squeezed shut. Weiss felt her lips twist, wracked by the first sob that bubbled up from her gut. She raised her hands to cover her face, but instead found her arms slipping around something warm.

It was Ruby, of course. She'd pulled Weiss into a hug, holding her close and murmuring reassurances into her ear. Yang wrapped her arms around them both, and even Blake squeezed in to rest her hand on Weiss' other shoulder.

She didn't know how long they stood there with her, supporting her as she cried herself out. But finally the tears slowed down and the hiccuping whimpers subsided, and she was able to take a deep, shuddering breath.

Blake and Yang started to pull away, but Weiss managed to grab them both and keep them from doing so. "I'm- I'm not okay now, but I will be." She even managed to smile. "How couldn't I be, with you three here with me?"

Ruby _d'awwwed_ into her ear, and she felt Yang shift as the brawler punched a fist up into the air. "She likes us!" the blonde crowed happily.

Blake finally did pull away, though, and Weiss opened her eyes to see why. The black-haired girl was staring at her, head tilted slightly to the side and a perplexed look in her eyes. "What, Blake?"

"...what happened to your hair?"

"O-oh. That." Weiss ran a hand through the shortened strands, shrugging a little. "I- well, I-" She sighed, cheeks heating a little. "I didn't like that you two lost most of yours, and I wanted to show some team solidarity. And I admit I knew my father wouldn't like it."

"I guess that's one way to _cut_ ties! Right? Amirite?"

The chorus of groans in response, Weiss' included, made her smile again. This time, the smile stayed.

* * *

 _Ding._

Qrow's scroll chimed brightly, signaling that the file transfer had _finally_ completed. _That took a while. Ah well, that exchange deserved nothing less than High Def._

With a satisfied grin, he slid the scroll shut again and slipped it into his pocket. Standing, he stretched his arms out wide, enjoying the gentle breeze that was blowing across the airfield.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Qrow strolled languidly back toward the campus proper, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

The airfield was quiet for long moments; all flights had been temporarily redirected in the face of White Squadron's approach, and normal traffic patterns wouldn't be resuming for another ten minutes or so. The only sounds to be heard were the gentle chirping of songbirds and the soft, constant whirring of a nearby security camera.

No one was nearby to notice the plastic charge card sitting on the tarmac. It sat quietly, a speck of white on a field of black, waiting to be found.

The larger-than-average crow that swooped by and nabbed it with its talons made sure that wouldn't ever happen.


	38. Chapter 34

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 34 - Threats and Promises

The strangled gasp made Torchwick look up from his book, flipping it closed around his finger without a second thought. Across the room, Neo was sitting up in bed, eyes wide and gripping her blanket hard enough to punch her fingers through the weave. Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps. "Sweetie? You okay?"

His voice sent a jolt through her, and she snapped her attention toward him. Both of her eyes were white, reflecting the glow from the lamp next to his chair. Torchwick set his book down, crossing the room. "Hey, hey. It's okay, it's all right. What's wrong?"

Neo shuddered, closing her eyes and pulling in a deep breath before letting it out. She let out a quiet whine.

Torchwick sat down on the edge of her bed, smoothing her hair back. "Nightmare?"

She nodded jerkily, shivering again.

"You remember what it was about?"

She nodded again, and with some effort let go of her blanket. She made skittering motions with her hands, crawling her fingers up and down her torso.

The motion was emphatic enough that it made him want to squirm. Torchwick sighed, giving her head a pat. "Bugs. I hate 'em too."

Neo whined again, tucking against his side. Torchwick let his arm rest over her shoulder, rubbing her back, trying to soothe her nerves. "You have _not_ been sleeping well these last few nights."

* * *

Night cast its shadows over the gutted commercial district. The red and white flashing lights of emergency responders were gone, replaced by the orange and yellow of construction crews and reclamation teams.

The last of the bodies had been retrieved from the wreckage.

Vale as a city, as a kingdom, let out a collective breath; not one of relief, but one of acceptance. The immediate crisis was over, and as many times before, it was time to move on and recover. Even in the dead of night, before the start of the week, business deals were made and contracts were signed.

The battles to be had now were not against the Grimm, or even the White Fang, but were company against company for the right of lowest bidder. Lien exchanged hands, marking the first step of rebuilding.

Sunday morning saw the sun shining down over Beacon's campus, as streams of students flowed into the academy's main auditorium. Attendance was mandatory, and no one was exempt.

* * *

Headmaster Ozpin stood alone on the stage, waiting for the last stragglers to filter in. A glance at the clock on the wall let him know that it was only a few minutes past ten o'clock, and he was in a forgiving mood, so he gave everyone a moment longer to settle into place before stepping up to the microphone stand.

He cleared his throat once, and conversation ceased. "Students. Thank you all for coming on admittedly short notice. I understand that today is normally the last day of the weekend, a time when you would normally be pursuing your own wants and needs, be them academic or personal.

"As you are all aware, classes have been postponed in the wake of the attack on Vale. It is my duty as Headmaster of Beacon Academy to inform you that classes resume today."

To his surprise, there were amazingly few grumbles and complaints. _It gladdens me that they understand the situation._ "I acknowledge that, after the events of the assault on Vale, some of you have experienced losses, both to injury and to choice. Those who have fallen will be remembered, their memory cherished. Those who have found their souls too gentle for the unavoidable cost of our profession are to be lauded for their efforts up to this day, and it is my hope that I am not alone in wishing them the best that a calmer life can bring."

Even as he said it, his eyes picked out the holes in some of the teams arrayed before him. He could picture every missing face; a dozen students had lost their lives fighting against the White Fang and the Grimm, and nearly twice that had withdrawn out of choice or necessity. "Because of this, I ask that the representatives of any teams that are now under strength to meet with me after this meeting. This is not Initiation Day, and I will be working with you all to determine the most efficient and satisfactory reshuffling of your teams."

"To those of you who were fortunate enough to emerge from this troublesome time unscathed, we will reconvene here at Noon for the day's assignments. Dismissed."

* * *

 _It's kind of weird taking up the whole couch like this._

Ozpin, as promised, had provided some extra furniture for their stay in his office at the top of Beacon's tower. A quartet of single-sized beds, an extra table and some chairs, and a couch wide enough to sit three. Vita and Nanoha were both using the couch at the moment; Nanoha was sitting at one end, and Vita was sprawled across the length with the back of her head in Nanoha's lap.

It was a sign of their friendship and companionability that they'd done the same thing many times before, and Vita was actually quite thankful that her age boost hadn't made the position awkward. It was one thing to have a ten-year-old child occupying your lap, and quite another to have a tall, curvy _bombshell_ of an asskicker doing it. Nanoha didn't care, though. Vita was Vita, and that's all that mattered to her.

Vita had her scroll in hand, linked to the campus' security cameras by Ozpin himself. She was watching the students prepare for their Sunday classes, flipping through the different screens. Something caught her eye, and it took her a moment to find the camera angle that gave her the best view of the auditorium. "...well that sucks."

"What is it, Vita?" Nanoha sounded a little distracted. Her head was tilted back, and _Raising Heart's_ visor was covering her eyes; she was running another gamut of simulations, Vita knew.

"Winchester's alone on the floor."

"Winchester… Cardin, right? Leader of CRDL?"

"Not anymore. His whole team withdrew from Beacon, he's the only one left." Vita scoffed in disdain, shaking her head. "Bunch of cowards. He loses an arm for them, and they up and quit on him." It actually made her angry to think about, but she forced what she could out with a sigh. _Well… better it happened now instead of three years down the road._

"That's a shame. Wasn't the headmaster going to reshuffle the teams?"

"Yeah, he did, but no one wants to have him. CRDL earned a bad rep last semester, and it ain't doin' him any favors now- wait a second. Drop the sim a minute and check this out."

Nanoha shook her head clear, pushing the pink visor up to her hairline. Vita held up her scroll so they could both see it. "Hey, that's JNPR walking up to him."

* * *

Cardin was in a bleak mood. His missing arm ached, a constant, painful reminder that no shifting around or moving could stop. His team had abandoned him, running back home to wherever they'd come from with their tails between their legs, and to top it off he was the odd one out in the team reshuffling. Everyone had taken one look at him and closed ranks, and he'd been left by himself.

It hurt, more than he cared to admit. Almost as much as his arm, even.

"Hey, uh. Cardin?"

He grimaced, turning to face team JNPR as they approached. "The hell do you want, Jauney-boy?"

Jaune held up his hands, palms out. "Nothing, nothing! I just…" He dropped his hands, then shrugged a little ruefully. "...well, okay, it's something. We, uh, we noticed you didn't get pulled into any of the rebuilt teams."

"Yeah, well. Twelve dead, twenty three quitters. Someone's got to be the leftover, right? And nobody wants the cripple." Cardin snorted, shaking his head and trying to find the words. None came, so he settled for what did come to mind. "Assholes."

Jaune blinked. "Uh. Yeah, I'm not sure who you're talking about there. You mean your team, or-"

Nora cut him off, unabashedly upbeat. "You ever think that no one wants you around because _you're_ the asshole?"

For a moment, Cardin wanted to _hit_ her, and he knew it showed on his face. But the short girl just stood there, rocking back and forth on her heels and her head cocked to the side quizzically, and he realized it would be a _bad_ idea. Short one arm, he'd be easy meat for her. Cardin made himself rein the impulse in, exhaling explosively. _Dammit._ "...maybe I've been something of a dick. But it's not my fault everyone's so thin-skinned!"

Jaune glanced to the side and made a tiny zipping motion over his lips. Without missing a beat, Ren reached over and covered Nora's mouth, earning a muffled squawk of complaint. "Right, uhm. Anyways, assholes or not, you're… still here, Cardin, and that's huge, right? I mean if anyone _earned_ a reason to give up and go home, it's you-"

Cardin felt his temper flare at even the hint of the suggestion. "I'm not fucking giving up!"

"Whoa, whoa! I'm not trying to say you should! I was just saying no one would bat an eye if you did, and- and people are surprised you _didn't._ But you're stuck without a team now."

"...yeah. That's about it."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "We talked about it between ourselves, so… you're welcome to come work with JNPR, Cardin. I know we haven't always gotten along, but… no one deserves to be alone like that, especially when it happens because you're doing the right thing."

His first instinct was to throw the offer back in their stinking faces. _I don't need your pity,_ was the thought echoing through his head. But as he'd been doing so much the last few days, he held back on the anger, stamped it down enough to think. His eyes flicked between them, and he made himself take a second look. Lie Ren's blank facade wasn't from indifference, but reservation. Nora Valkyrie wasn't being as carefree as he thought, but was instead showing endless optimism. Jaune Arc's gormless expression was actually cautious idealism, and Pyrrha Nikos-

...Pyrrha Nikos had that tiny doll-girl sitting on her shoulder, who was watching everything with clear blue eyes and a happy smile. Seeing her there- _I think they call her Rain-_ made him pause and think for even longer. To all of JNPR's credit, they didn't rush him, giving him the time he needed.

"Look, Jauney-b… Jaune. It's a nice offer, really. But all the weird stuff that's been going down lately; the refugees being… crazy magic witches, and Ruby Rose learning how to do it right in front of us all." He glanced at the white-haired doll again, pointedly. "You guys are neck deep in all that, you have been since the start of the semester. I don't think the Headmaster wants me that close."

JNPR exchanged a few glances, and this time Pyrrha spoke up. "That's… entirely true, Cardin. We're involved, yes. But that doesn't change the fact that we are still students here. I don't think Headmaster Ozpin would object to us working with you academically."

"An astute observation, Ms. Nikos." They all turned in surprise to see the headmaster himself standing _right there,_ as if he had been the entire time. "As always, Team JNPR, you never fail to exceed my expectations. Mr. Winchester," Headmaster Ozpin nodded to him.

"...Headmaster Ozpin."

"I see no reason to dissuade you from accepting Team JNPR's offer as stated. As you yourself have noted, there are certain things that JNPR is privy to that you will have to be excluded from, but this will have no effect on your academic record and as such you will be able to continue your studies apace. All I require to make your reassignment official is your agreement."

"Shit." Cardin cursed quietly, rubbing his face. "It'd be really stupid of me to say no, wouldn't it?"

"Excellent. I will put the paperwork through. Additionally, I need to make an inquiry. If you will excuse me, students?" The headmaster nodded to them all, then turned and walked off.

* * *

Vita exchanged a glance with Nanoha. "Mine."

"Wait, yours? What do you mean yours?"

"Signum already has Jaune and Pyrrha both. He's _mine,_ he just doesn't know it yet."

* * *

It was the second time that Fate came to her room.

The first time she'd done so, very little had actually happened. The blonde had asked her a few questions; where Emerald was from, if she had any family or friends to contact, and other simple things. It was nothing Emerald had never dealt with before, but Fate was a hell of a lot more _polite_ than the cops and detectives that had questioned her in years past. She'd answered truthfully, though admittedly there was very little she could even say. The life of a vagrant didn't leave much time for connections, and her family was long dead.

Like last time, Emerald watched her closely as Fate crossed the room and took her seat. The blonde was wearing a crisp black uniform consisting of a jacket and skirt, with odd hemispherical devices affixed to the upper sleeves. Arf had risen from her own seat to stand behind Fate's shoulder.

"Emerald." Fate was flipping through a sheaf of papers, scrawling a few notations down with a pen.

 _She's using hardcopy. They know about the virus._ "Harlaown."

For a moment, Fate glanced up at her, and Emerald was struck by her eyes. They were the same shade of red as her own, but the emotion and intent behind them was completely different. "Shamal tells me that your wounds have responded to her efforts and have completely healed. You've been restricted to your bed since."

Emerald pulled at one of her restraints, pursing her lips. "Pretty obvious."

Fate nodded, and behind her Arf looked down at the blonde incredulously. "You want me to _what?"_ The faunus sounded affronted.

"She's under a limiter, Arf. It's fine."

Arf let out an explosive sigh, then stepped around Fate. Emerald tensed, but Arf just loosened the restraints around her wrists, then moved down to her ankles and released them as well.

Emerald hardly dared to move, but after a moment she brought her hands up to rub her wrists, one after the other.

Fate gestured about the room with her pen. "Take a moment to stretch, Emerald. I'll wait."

Gingerly, she swung her legs off the infirmary bed, wobbling a little as she stood. "Don't you think you're being a little too trusting with me?"

"You know better than that, Emerald. Even if you somehow manage to overpower the two of us, Signum is posted outside the door."

Fate was right; Emerald did know better. Whatever the TSAB was, they weren't going to do things in half measures. Still, the knowledge did sap the tiny bit of hope that Emerald had felt on being released from her bed. _I might as well be wearing chains right now._

Still, it did help to move around the room a little, and after a few moments she went back to take a seat on the side of her bed. "So what is it this time?"

Fate set the stack of papers down on the table next to her, folding her hands in her lap. "I wanted to speak with you about what to expect from us if you decide to cooperate." Her red eyes watched Emerald keenly.

"Shamal Yagami made it pretty clear that it'd be really stupid of me if I don't."

"But it's still your decision to do so, Emerald. We won't _make_ you cooperate, but I very much urge you to do so." Fate held out a hand, and Arf slipped a glass of water into her grasp. A second one was offered, grudgingly, to Emerald. It wasn't until Fate took a sip of her own that Emerald drank from hers.

Fate continued a moment later, after setting the glass down. "The Time Space Administrative Bureau puts full consideration into extenuating circumstances, as well as efforts made to mitigate the damages caused by crimes under our jurisdiction. Your cooperation will speak well towards your own case."

Emerald could see the angle Fate was coming from; she'd heard it often enough before. _Might as well play along a little._ "If you're trying to tempt me with a plea bargain, I'd at least like to hear what the offer is."

"The TSAB makes a habit of offering military and community service to felons convicted of lesser crimes. Simply put, we believe in second chances, and incarcerating people who could still be productive members of society helps no one." Fate leaned forward, and her eyes were surprisingly guileless. "There is an entire galaxy of possibilities out there, Emerald."

"You expect me to believe that they'd just... slap me on the wrist and then pin a badge on my shirt?" Emerald couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course not. You'd have to go through familiarization courses, to prepare you for galactic society at large. Induction training for the branch that you're being brought into, which… at your age and skill level would most likely be an abbreviated form of boot camp." Fate leaned back, taking another sip of her water. "You won't be _free,_ not for years. But it's a far cry better than being locked away in a penal institution."

Emerald chewed her lip. Something about what Fate had said wasn't sitting right with her. _Something about society. Galactic society._

 _There is an entire galaxy of possibilities out there._

"...what do you mean by _galactic_ society?"

Fate just smiled, rising to her feet. "Remnant as a whole has a chance to become part of something much greater. Wouldn't it be better to be part of that as well?"

The blonde turned for the door, but paused at the threshold to look back at Arf. "Arf, with me please. Signum's taking your place in the room." Those crimson eyes flicked toward Emerald, open and honest, even as the pink-haired Yagami stepped past her. "Take a little time to think about what _you_ want your future to be. I'll be back in an hour with lunch."

* * *

"Students! Students, please take your… well, not your _seats,_ given that we're all standing out in the athletic field, but please take your places with your teams!" Peter Port waited patiently for the flood of students to arrange themselves before him, his smile hidden behind his moustache. Teams from all four academic years were attending his class; admittedly not _all_ of them, but nearly a hundred students. The other half of the students were at the far end of campus, participating in another practical course headed by Peach and some of the infirmary staff. Standing next to him were Bartholomew Oobleck, the usual bundle of badly restrained _vigor_ that he was, and two of the refugee mages.

That in itself had been something of a revelation. Real mages from outer space, _actual magic!_ And not only actual magic, but magic that could be used by their own people! A truly world-changing event!

For the immediate moment though, beside the point. What mattered was that they were not only friendly, but _eager_ to help in every way they could, now that their secret was a secret no longer. _Truly commendable,_ he mused to himself.

The students finished assembling, and he tapped the microphone to get their attention. "Well then! Today is our first day of _practical combat application._ This is not to be your standard combat training class, where you would be sparring individually or in your usual teams. After the events of the assault on Vale, we have made the necessary decision to shift our focus to _large scale warfare."_

There was an expected hubbub from the students, a rise of short-lived murmurs that were quickly shushed. Oobleck stepped up to the microphone, adding his own comments. "As you have all become _fully_ aware after this past week, sometimes huntsmen and huntresses find themselves required to participateinbloodshed against our fellow man! It is regrettable, I say, regrettable but _necessary_ that we prepare youforthis eventuality, so! So today, we are splitting you all into two forces! One force will take the place of a city's defenders, and the other will be an attacking force attempting to achieveanobjective within the battle zone!

"With the assistance of Ms. Shamal Yagami here, whom you may or may not havespokenwith before today, we will be using a _new and esoteric_ method of battle! With the magics available to her, some of which have _already been demonstrated_ over the weekend, she will be _preserving_ our battle zone from our activities! Brace yourselves, as this may feel _strange!_ Ms. Yagami, if you will!"

"Of course, Professor. Klarer Wind, _Phasenbarriere."_ A green triangle formed under her feet, and a pulse of magic swept out from her to spread over the athletic field and beyond, reaching out to encompass half the campus, ending just at the feet of the CCTS tower itself. There was another murmur from the students, a louder clamor as they felt the spell tugging at their Auras. Even Port had to admit to himself that it was, for a moment, uncomfortable.

Still, it was hit turn at the microphone again, and he gave the students another moment before calling for their attention. "Students! You are now inside what is called a _phase barrier!_ In simple terms, think of it as a _simulated world_ that is an exact mirror of the real one! What this means is that, plain and simple, you do not need to worry about damaging our lovely campus with our combat today! That means that tactics normally not acceptable for classroom, or even full arena exercises are not only excusable, but even encouraged! I only require that you keep the safety of your fellow students in mind! Professor Oobleck! The nitty gritty, please!"

"Yes, yes! Students, because of the _realistic nature_ of today's exercise, your scrolls have been adjusted to monitor your combat with your opponents in a much more stringent fashion! The Aura cutoff point is not anarbitraryfifteenpercent as it normally is. Instead, your scrolls will note your opponent, and compare your remaining aura strength to their most _powerful_ recorded maneuver! If, in combat, you reach a point where said maneuver would defeat you, you are to _consideryourselfdefeated_ and remove yourself to the recovery zone! This is _not negotiable,_ as this is a live-fire exercise and your safety is important to us!

"Now then! Team leaders, please come forward and draw from this box _toreceiveyour_ team assignments! You will have _halfanhour_ to formulate your respective offensive and defensive strategies, at which point you will deploy!"

As the various leaders approached the stage, Port dropped back. He turned to _Admiral_ Harlaown, smiling through his moustache. "I must thank you once again for your generous assistance in our classes today. Your magical technologies allow for training exercises we could only dream of previously!"

"It's our duty and pleasure to assist, Professor. If anything, I find myself a little daunted by the fact that your students are so quickly willing to resume their training with such an atrocity so recent in their minds."

"Mmm, yes, of course. It is life on Remnant, Admiral. The Grimm do not wait, so neither can we."

* * *

Yagami Pink hadn't hesitated in taking one of the vacated seats in the room, and so far the only acknowledgement of Emerald's presence she'd made was to drop a magazine in her lap when noticed Emerald had nothing to read. Now the swordswoman was flipping through a magazine of her own, her expression completely serious as she perused the latest copy of _Piercing the Vale! Tourist Attractions Across the Kingdom!_

The issue she'd been given was _last_ month's issue, not that it really mattered. It stayed closed in Emerald's hands, the binding twisted by the tightness of her grip.

Nearly fifteen minutes passed with her sitting on the side of her bed, not moving, when Signum finally glanced up at her. "If you're not going to read it, then give it back to me. I've finished with this one."

Wordlessly, Emerald passed the magazine over, to find the more recent one shoved into her hand. Through the thoughts roiling in her head, she managed to piece together a question. "...what are you doing?"

"I am attempting to find an appropriate locale to take Vasilias for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the ones mentioned in the most recent issue were destroyed by the White Fang's assault." Signum flipped another page and then paused, tilting her head a little. "...uncouth."

"...Vasilias?"

"Neptune."

"Oh, right." She remembered glancing over the Haven student's dossier once before. "...why do you want to take him to dinner?"

"He has shown interest in me, and as the winner of our sparring match before the dance I owe him a date."

"I guess that makes- wait a minute. You _won_ and now you owe _him_ a date? That doesn't make any sense at all." Emerald frowned. "Shouldn't he be asking you on a date?"

Signum smirked, the faintest quirk of her lips. "Asking _me_ on a date is a privilege. One that must be earned."

Emerald felt her eyebrows rise toward her hairline. _Wow,_ she mouthed to herself. "That's a hell of a lot of confidence in yourself."

"Confidence born in skill. I am a master of the sword."

They lapsed back into silence, only broken by the turning of glossy pages. Emerald stewed in her thoughts, twisting the magazine back and forth in her hands.

After a few minutes, she realized the swordswoman was looking at her again. "You have questions," Signum stated. "Nothing comes from squandering your thoughts. Speak your mind."

"Probably a bad idea," Emerald grunted.

"Nevertheless."

"Fine." Emerald crossed her arms, glowering at the door. "What was Fate talking about?"

"Testarossa has talked about a great many things. You will have to be more specific."

That made Emerald blink. "Testarossa? I thought she was a Harlaown."

"She was adopted, but that is beside the point. What are you asking about?"

 _Huh. I guess she doesn't really look like the rest of them._ "...she said things about _galactic_ society, and Remnant getting to be part of something greater."

"Hm. An optimistic view, but possible." Signum set her magazine aside. "To answer your question, it is that Remnant is but one planet of many that supports life. You, and by you I mean the people of Remnant, are not alone amongst the stars."

 _How the hell am I supposed to respond to that?_ Emerald narrowed her eyes, searching Signum's face for any hint of deception. There was nothing at all; Signum could have been a featureless brick wall for all the emotion that she showed.

Signum let out a small sigh. "I have no reason to lie to you, and every reason to tell the truth. My compatriots are the same. Whatever Fate has told you, she is not leading you falsely."

"She said that if I _cooperate,_ there's a chance that this _TSAB_ will- will _employ_ me, instead of locking me away in a cell." Emerald let her skepticism show in her voice.

"Entirely possible. I am proof enough of that myself, as well as the rest of us you know as the Yagamis."

"You?" Emerald laughed; a short, disbelieving sound. "What do they have _you_ in for? Grand theft auto? Did Red beat someone up in a bar? Did the wolfman piss on a fire hydrant in public?"

"Dimensional crimes- that is to say, criminal acts that threaten the very fabric of reality as you know it. Wanton destruction on a civilizations-wide scale. Mass murder." Signum spoke as easily as if reading from a list of bullet points. "Mass violation of sophonts' linker cores, the source of what Remnant refers to as Aura. All under the bidding of masters to whom we could not disobey. There are smaller counts, of course, but too numerous to list in any reasonable timeframe."

"...oh." Emerald stared at Signum anew, trying to match the concept of such… _brutality_ with the person in front of her. She seemed so _calm,_ so collected. "...and they just let you walk around freely now?"

"Completely free? Of course not. There are restrictions, but what freedom I am given is more than enough for my purposes. I have been gifted with the opportunity to make up for my crimes, to make amends. I even hold rank within the TSAB, which gives me some level of legitimacy." She sighed again, for a moment almost wistful. "My only regret is that I may never be able to balance the scales. Time is fleeting, and I have much to make up for."

"...why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you are willing to ask. To ask questions means that you are entertaining an open mind, and an open mind is much more willing to think about the answers given to it than a closed mind is willing to listen to what it is told."

* * *

Outside the office's windows, the skies were slowly darkening from the outer edges of the approaching hurricane; as she had promised though, Summer was maintaining a flow of her own power into the air, weakening the storm and diverting the wind. It was enough of a passive effort that she was able to enjoy the entertainment in front of her.

It had taken a little bit of finagling, but Nanoha had managed to link Raising Heart to the big scrollscreen mounted on the wall in Ozpin's office. The image was split into multiple smaller screens, showing an overview of the field battle taking place in the phase barrier below the tower.

Nanoha and Vita were both sitting on the couch, leaning forward and watching the action, a big bowl of popcorn in Vita's lap. Summer was sitting next to her, sneaking handfuls of popcorn herself. It had taken some coaxing, but even Raven had squeezed onto the cushion next to Summer, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl fixed on her face as she watched the action.

The two mages were providing a heap of color commentary as the battle unfolded, both praising and scathing as a hundred students maneuvered and clashed in tactics and battle. What was really keeping Summer's attention, though, were the flashes of red light that marked Ruby's magical contribution to the defenders.

She was playing the part of ranged support as strongly as she could, Summer saw. Team RWBY was staying the back as one of the defending anchor teams, holding strong against any assault force that managed to punch through their frontline. Ruby had posted herself at the top of a building close to the CCTS tower itself, and any opposition that got too close found itself bombarded by a storm of glowing red packets and even-

"That was a plasma lancer! She managed a plasma lancer!" Nanoha punched her fists in the air in delight, popcorn going everywhere. "At the perfect time, too!"

"Yeah, but her recovery time for a spell like that is gonna take her out of the fight for a few seconds. It was also blatant enough that she's gonna draw attention from anyone with a- there it is!" Vita crossed her arms in satisfaction as a storm of tracer rounds chewed across the roof Ruby was posted on, forcing the girl to yelp and run. Another screen showed Coco yelling her ire as she _unloaded_ her cannon, chasing Ruby down with the gatling fire.

Summer's eyes widened, and she gripped the edge of her seat. Dust rounds kept hammering into Ruby's hastily erected round shield, chewing into the glowing surface with abandon. Cracks started to form in the glyph-like shield.

Then Yang threw herself into Coco from the side, knocking the fashionista off balance for the moment Ruby needed to get out of sight, and earning a baseball-bat swing from Yatsuhashi for her efforts. Yang went through the side of a building, disappearing from the screen.

Raven snorted, looking away for a moment. Vita glared at her for a moment. "Got a problem, _Chuuni?"_

"Stop calling me that."

"I'll stop calling you that when you stop being one."

"What does it even _mean?"_

"Hey, I asked the question here! You got a problem with Yang or not?"

"...no. She just let herself get clobbered there."

"Maybe, but it was awesome and she took the heat off Ruby! That's what a bruiser's supposed to do, after all!" Summer grabbed another handful of popcorn, shoving it into her mouth. "It's the same sort of thing you're supposed to do, except you're not made to take the hits like she is. She gets that from Tai." Onscreen, there was a flare of yellow light from inside the building, and Yang burst out of the rubble afire. "See?"

Raven let out a noncommittal grunt, crossing her arms again. "Still, she shouldn't have let herself get- what the hell?!"

Summer grabbed the couch in surprise as the floor moved underneath them. The entire tower _swayed_ to one side, forcefully enough to send the couch skidding for a dozen feet. The walls groaned in complaint as the motion stopped. "W-what the fuck was that?"

Nanoha and Vita were already on their feet. The brunette mage thrust out a hand, and a pulse of pink light obliterated one of the curving windows. Before Summer or Raven could even question the motion, the tower started swaying back the way it had come, throwing the two of them off the couch.

They never even hit the ground. Vita grabbed them both around their waists and arrowed through the blasted-open window, Nanoha close behind. Raven started to struggle, but then the sight of the thousands-foot drop below made her eyes widen. "Yagami!"

Summer gave her head a shake and called on her power to support herself, pushing clear from Vita to float next to them. Beacon Tower gave another loud groan, audible even over the wind, and settled to a stop. "Nanoha, what _was_ that?"

The mage had her staff held in both hands, scanning the rolling clouds above them, looking for any sign of hostiles. Eventually she relaxed, at least enough to respond.

"Earthquake."

* * *

The battle exercise had been called to a sudden halt, despite neither team achieving their strategic goal. At Professor Oobleck's urging, the hundred-strong class of students had assembled once again in the athletic field, at which point Shamal had dispelled the phase barrier surrounding them. The war-torn copy of Beacon Campus had vanished, replaced by the real Beacon that was by no means pristine. Several of the buildings were now sporting cracked and damaged stonework, and some of the decorative structures throughout the lawn had collapsed into piles of debris.

' _What happened?' 'I thought the barrier was supposed to keep us from destroying the campus!'_ Gossip had started immediately, which the professors had quickly quelled. Now, the class was gathered in front of a large scrollscreen that had been erected on the lawn.

" _And again, you've said that these strange ground shakings have never before happened?"_ Lisa Lavender carried the same apathetic air that she always did, as if she was still waiting for a piece of news to actually impress her.

" _That is correct, Lisa."_ The man on screen was a famous Atlesian geologist, renowned for his work in the field of Dust surveying and extraction. " _Well; perhaps correct is the wrong word. Suffice it to say that this sort of ground disturbance has never before been experienced in recorded history. The closest example I can give is the effects of a deep extraction mine collapsing, but those effects would only be felt in a very localized area."_

" _So you have no idea what may have caused this strange and dangerous occurrence?"_ The newscaster turned, and the image shifted to a map of Remnant, with several places along the Sanus continent's coast glowing red. Patch and Vale proper started glowing as well, and a small box in the corner showed Lisa's face. " _Reports from coastal towns on Sanus' eastern edge have been coming in as well, experiencing the same phenomenon that we just felt in Vale. As you can see, this is no local event, and has in fact been going on for several days now."_

" _I am forced to admit that I have no idea what caused this series of ground shakes. My colleagues in Atlas are already hard at work trying to determine the cause, but I am afraid it will take time and effort to come to any conclusions."_

" _Thank you, Dr. Corundum."_ The screen blanked again, returning to show the newscaster's blase expression. " _There you have it, viewers. What do these strange tremors mean for the already shaken kingdom of Vale? Only time will tell, and time is one thing that we never have to spare. This is Lisa Lavender, Vale News Network."_

* * *

When the door to Ozpin's temporary office opened, Lindy was unsurprised to see Ironwood already inside, conferring with the Headmaster. His scroll was sitting on Ozpin's desk, and a holographic representation of the CCTS tower was being projected above it. Portions of the structure were glowing yellow, and a few sections inside were flashing red. Ozpin immediately took note of them, and waved them inside. "Lindy, Mr. Scrya. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, Ozpin." Lindy smoothed out her uniform jacket and sat down, and Yuuno took the chair next to her. "Sorry to dispose of pleasantries, but do you mind if I ask how bad the damage is?"

Ironwood cleared his throat, nodding toward the projection. "Not as bad as it could have been. The primary broadcast system is down, but thankfully the backups came online before the signal was truly interrupted. Unfortunately, repairing the electronics will have to wait until we shore up the structure."

"The CCTS towers were never designed to withstand earthquakes?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Ironwood. He cleared his throat. "The way you say it leads me to believe that these 'earthquakes' are something you are familiar with?"

Lindy nodded to Yuuno, and the archaeologist answered. "They are. Seismology is a branch of geological sciences well understood by the TSAB and even many of the non-administered worlds we're aware of. I'm not a seismologist myself, but I understand plate tectonics well enough for a layperson."

"To answer your question," Ironwood said, "we've never had any experience with 'earthquakes' at all. Remnant… the ground doesn't shake, not like that. So no, we've never tried to build structures to withstand it."

Yuuno's eyebrows rose toward his hairline. "You're saying that Remnant is a tectonically dead world?"

"I… suppose? I'm not qualified to say for certain."

Lindy pursed her lips, frowning. "Whether or not Remnant experiences tectonic activity normally, we are forced to accept the fact that it is experiencing it _now._ So the question is-"

"-is what is causing it," Ozpin finished for her.

* * *

Torchwick didn't quite let himself pace, but he shifted from foot to foot while waiting for the call to pick up. It didn't take too long, at least. " _Torchwick."_

"Nice to hear you too, Lawman."

" _Do you need something?"_

"Depends. I have to admit, little Neo and I are starting to feel a little forgotten in here. The big crack in the ceiling isn't helping matters much."

" _The quake took all of us by surprise. I'll pass the word along that a maintenance crew needs to check it out."_

"Actually, about that. We're going a little stir-crazy in here. House arrest will do that, you know." Torchwick took a puff from his cigar, blowing the smoke out the window. "Any chance we could walk around and stretch our legs? With an escort, of course."

" _One moment."_ The line muted for a moment, and then Chrono's voice came back on. " _I'm sending some people to pick you up. We could use your insight on a few things. And yes,"_ Chrono interrupted, before Torchwick could say anything, " _you two can have some time outside after. Under guard."_

"Fantastic! You really do know how to brighten a man's da-" Torchwick pulled the scroll away from his ear, staring at the screen in consternation. "...and you hung up. You're such a stick in the mud, Lawman."

Only a few moments later, there was a knock at the door. It opened immediately, revealing none other than Glynda Goodwitch, flanked by-

-Neo was suddenly behind him, peeking out from behind his back-

-the _big sister_ herself, golden eyes impassive below her raven-black bangs. Torchwick touched two fingers to his hat, lightly spinning _Melodic Cudgel_ in his other hand. "Ladies. Glad to see you're breaking out the big guns."

* * *

While a large portion of the student body had been participating in a 'large-scale defense exercise', Professor Peach had led another detachment of students into the Emerald Forest for Anti-Grimm Tactics training. The idea was that a large concentration of Aura users in the wild would attract Grimm from a wider range than usual, setting up a situation for the students to practice in in a situation where they had a dozen other teams to coordinate with.

It had been a complete bust. Despite spending the better part of the afternoon waiting and preparing, hardly any dangerous Grimm had moved in on their location. Except for a few dozen beowolves and one solitary ursa, they had been, as Nora vociferously complained, _skunked._

That wasn't to say those were the only Grimm they'd found. Spread throughout the trees, crawling across the ground, and even flying through the air, they'd found dozens upon dozens of strange insect-like Grimm, frail-bodied and completely harmless. Clutched in Jaune's hands was a glass jar containing a half-dozen of the odd creatures, who buzzed their black-veined transparent wings impotently as they tried to escape. Professor Peach had tasked his team with bringing the sample captures to Professor Port for examination, as no one had ever seen anything even remotely like them before. Reinforce had been more than entertained by them the entire flight back, peering into the jar at them; they were tiny even compared to her.

Their bullhead was the last of six to touch down, and the rest of the students were already heading back to the auditorium for debriefing. Jaune was surprised to see Winter Schnee waiting for them when the hatch levered open. "Specialist? Is there something you need?"

"Yes. Cardin Winchester?"

The big first year pushed past Jaune, not _quite_ shouldering him out of the way. "Yeah, that's me."

"You are to come with me, please. Your presence is requested in Blue Two's medical bay for a consultation. The rest of you are to report to Professor Goodwitch's office in the administration building after you make your delivery.

That rose from eyebrows, and all four- _five,_ Jaune reminded himself- members of JNPR glanced up at the formation of Atlesian cruisers hovering far overhead. Cardin clenched his fist, rubbing at his jaw with his knuckles. "The hell do you want me up there before? I already told the nurses I'm fine."

"General Ironwood has authorized our medical team to fit you for a prosthetic limb, courtesy of Atlas, for your efforts in the battle in Vale. You are, of course, welcome to decline, but I insist you at least meet with our team-"

"I'll talk to you assholes later. Don't drop the jar on the way to Port, Jauney-boy." Cardin was already jogging over to Winter, waving over his shoulder. They turned and left without another word, moving toward an Atlas dropship that was idling on a nearby pad.

"Huh. That's a thing. Good for him, right?" Jaune nodded seriously, then motioned for the others to follow him into campus. He made extra certain to keep both hands on the jar the entire time.

* * *

"Ah! Students, welcome! What brings you to my-" Peter Port paused, glancing around the disheveled room. Books had fallen off their shelves, papers askew across the floor. It was going to take hours to put everything back. "-my rather messy office?"

Jaune Arc stepped forward, holding out a jar. "Uh- these, Professor. We found some really weird Grimm out in the Emerald Forest, and they were actually _really_ easy to catch. They can't bite, they don't even have teeth or pincers or anything."

"A new variation of Grimm? Intriguing! Most intriguing!" Port crossed the office, reaching out with eager hands to take the jar from Jaune and hold it up to eye level. Inside, the bugs buzzed and fluttered, peering back at him with glowing compound eyes. "Very interesting! What would the purpose be of these creatures, do you think? Oh, and hello, Ms. Reinforce!"

"Hello!" The tiny girl waved from Pyrrha's shoulder.

"We- we're not sure, Professor," the Mistralian said. "Grimm kill people and destroy the works of man; everyone knows that, and I believe that we've discussed it often enough in your class, haven't we?" Pyrrha leaned forward a little to tap at the glass, earning a flutter of gossamer wings from the inhabitants within. "But I don't see how these can do that. They don't have any natural weapons, and they're frail even for their size. We probably killed dozens of them before we even managed to catch these."

"Indeed!" Port stroked his moustache, then set the jar down on his desk. "I swear I've read about something like this before… but no matter! You four- _five,_ I'm sorry! You five are supposed to be meeting with the Headmaster and friends. Go on and don't worry about me, I'll be busy researching these specimens!"

"Okay, Professor. Call us if you need us?"

Port nodded absently in response to Jaune's question, already sifting through the books piled on the floor. "Of course, of course."

* * *

The CCTS broadcasts were abuzz with the strange activities of Grimm across all of Remnant. Cities beholden to all four kingdoms were reporting surges in Grimm attacks on the walls, ferocious and unrestrained.

Except for one; the Grimm around Vale itself were silent.

 _The Grimm are moving. Salem's setting the stage._ Cinder knew that the Grimm Queen's hand was involved; her crimson eye was on Vale.

It put her on edge. The tattoo on her back squirmed constantly, crawling back and forth between her shoulder blades. Cinder had to bite down on the urge to scratch at it, to dig her nails in and tear it away. And that would be _bad,_ because then the rest of the Grimm would no longer see her as one of their own.

There was nothing she could do but wait for Salem's signal.

It wasn't all bad, at least. Torchwick's safehouse was as comfortable as any place she'd ever stayed, and she held no qualms about availing herself to his stocks of expensive liquors and foods. She didn't dare drink enough to impair herself, and she trusted the Fall Mantle to burn the small buzz she was currently feeling away at a moment's notice if necessary.

That didn't stop her from nearly letting out a shriek when she heard the lock on the door opening. She jumped to her feet, obsidian forming in her hands in a flash-

It was Mercury.

The young man stopped dead, eyes crossing in an effort to stare at the jagged arrowhead barely an inch from his nose. "H-hey now, I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Cinder let out a breath, dispelling the bow as quickly as she had called it forth. "Inside, both of you. Close the door-" Mercury was shutting the door behind him; he was alone. "Where's Emerald?"

"Yeah, about that." Mercury rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. "She turned. I had to put her down."

"You _what?"_

"She knew too much, Cinder! She went soft, and she was giving up on the plan! If I let her go, she'd run back to her new _boyfriend_ and tell him everything!" Mercury threw his hands in the air, affronted. "So yes, I killed her, to keep us safe."

"You killed her." Cinder repeated, gritting her teeth. She found herself staring at a spot on the wall. _I promised her she'd never go hungry again._

"It had to be done." Mercury dropped onto a couch, kicking his feet up. "So what's the plan?"

There wasn't an ounce of regret in him. For a moment Cinder wanted to beat the grin off his smug, arrogant face. It took effort to force the desire down, but she managed it. "We wait for the queen to send word. Be ready to move at a moment's notice."

* * *

"So the way I figure it," Torchwick was saying, "Cinder's going to be holed up in one of my safehouses. The cops have been paid off to stay away from them all; I actually took care of that a year or two ago. If I had to _guess,_ it'll be either this one or this one." He pointed two of the circled locations on the map of Vale that was being projected on the wall, nodding. "They're the most _tastefully_ extravagant."

He glanced over his shoulder, inwardly pleased to see the glare Goodwitch was directing toward him. "Don't give me that look! I _am_ a criminal mastermind, after all!"

Ruby Rose raised her hand, hesitantly. "So, uhm. Why are you telling us about _all_ of them, rather than just those two?"

 _Because I don't plan on needing them anymore._ "Hey now, Red. A man's not allowed to turn a new leaf?" No one laughed. Hell, no one even smiled. _Tough crowd._ "But seriously. I make a habit of being on the winning side; in my line of work, that's how you stay _not dead._ I know when to fold."

Chrono cleared his throat. "You're certain that Fall will be holed up at one of those two locations?"

"Certain? No. Cinder's not stupid. There's a very real likelihood that she's hiding somewhere else. But I'd say the odds are for it." Torchwick tapped _Melodic Cudgel_ against his chin. "She's also really _vain."_

Lindy Harlaown nodded. "We'll want two primary assault teams, then, and a number of teams on standby. According to our source, Cinder Fall will likely be accompanied by Mercury Black, who is as it turns out a trained assassin with noteworthy sociopathic tendencies."

That made Torchwick raise an eyebrow. "Your _source?_ What, did you manage to catch the other brat and make her squeal?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well then, carry on." Torchwick leaned back against the wall, impressed. _And she was a hardened street rat, too._

The Admiral definitely looked _satisfied,_ but not smug. Then again, Torchwick had the feeling that Lindy Harlaown wasn't the type to gloat. "Since we have to assume Cinder Fall will have at least one individual in her immediate vicinity to provide support, I don't want anything less than a combat team of four attempting to apprehend her, and any team that does so will need to have at least one flight mage. I'd prefer to send the _Wolkenritter,_ but we can't spare them from the positions they've already been tasked with."

Headmaster Ozpin nodded. "Teams RWBY and JNPR. You will be assisting in this operation to provide oversight and ground coverage during the capture assault."

The students nodded, but were interrupted by the door to the office slamming open. Professor Port barged into the room, holding a buzzing glass jar in one hand and a leather journal in the other. "I found it, Ozpin! I found it!"

"Professor." Ozpin didn't quite sound severe, but there was some pique in his tone. "This is a secure planning session. Is this _important?"_

"Ah, my apologies, everyone! But it is important indeed! Extremely so, even!" Port at least had the presence of mind to shut the door behind him, then brandished the jar and journal again. "The strange Grimm that Team JNPR brought back from the Emerald Forest! I found written record of their existence in a Huntsman's journal dating back before the Great War!"

"Get to the point please, Peter." Goodwitch _did_ sound severe, but Torchwick figured it was rare that she ever didn't.

"Yes, yes, of course! They are called Mayfalls, and their presence is a portent most dire! The last time they were ever witnessed in number, and in number is the only way they are ever seen, an entire city on the coast of Mistral was wiped from the face of Remnant by a Grimm attack of nightmarish proportions! It's all right here, detailed by the lone survivor of the city's defenders!"

Port set the jar down on a nearby table, flipping through the journal and showing the entry to Ozpin. The headmaster leaned his cane on the wall to take the journal in hand, tracing the passage with his hand.

Torchwick turned his attention to the jar itself. Inside he could see a half dozen tiny black insects, all clinging quiescently to the curved glass interior. The buzzing sound from their wings was gone. "...hey."

No one responded. Goodwitch was looking over Ozpin's shoulder now, and the headmaster was reading the relevant passage out loud. The students and mages were all murmuring in reaction. Torchwick cleared his throat. "Hey!"

Ozpin glanced up over the rim of his glasses, frowning. "What is it, Mr. Torchwick?"

"Is it me, or are they all staring at Hot Stuff there?"

The murmurs of conversation slowed to a halt, and all attention focused on the Grimm. Even the pink-haired swordswoman's glare faded when she realized that he was right.

* * *

"Okay, that's the last of them." Nanoha lowered Raising Heart, letting the handful of shooter bolts dissipate into nothingness. All that was left of the swarm of black flies that had gotten into the office was a rapidly fading black mist. "The new window's sealed?"

"Yeah, it's in. Ain't gonna be _opening_ until a real repair crew gets in here, but it'll keep the bugs out." Vita glared out the new pane of glass at the _cloud_ of tiny Grimm. There were hundreds of them, thousands even; the ones that couldn't land on the glass and peer inside were surrounding Ozpin's office in a haze so thick they couldn't even see the clouds outside. " _Chuuni,_ you ever see anything like these?"

"No."

"Great. Well someone tell Ozpin that we've been swarmed in."

Summer was already on a scroll, holding it to her ear. "We're not the only ones. There's a shitload of them trying to get into the administrative building now, and more around the infirmary, he says. There are student teams trying to clear them out, but it's like… well, like trying to kill a swarm of bugs with guns and knives."

"There might be reports elsewhere." Raven flipped the scrollscreen over to the news.

The screen lit up with hand-recorded footage, looking down at an angle over icy terrain. Beowolves and ursa were charging across snow-covered ground toward the screen, howling for blood. The view panned around, showing Atlesian soldiers manning a fortified wall, tearing the Grimm apart with storms of concentrated fire. " _-sudden surge in Grimm activity all along the border of Atlas. According to our sources in the kingdom, the attacks started no more than half an hour ago. So far the kingdom's defenders have had no trouble repelling the- hold on a moment!"_

There was a pause, and then the image switched to a windswept desert. More Grimm were clambering over the sand dunes, meeting much the same fate as the ones in Atlas. " _Breaking news! Increases in Grimm attacks on the walls have been reported in Vacuo and Mistral as well. Outlying communities are putting in emergency requests for Huntsman assistance all across th-"_

The feed went dead, and Raven tossed her scroll onto the couch. "Well that's just fucking dandy. Sums, tell Oz-"

"Still on the scroll with him. They're watching now."

* * *

" _Uno, you'll be quite pleased to know that the stealth relay is in position. I know I am."_

"Yes, Doctor. I received encrypted transmissions from the relay two hours ago."

" _Excellent! Make certain Tre and Nove are ready for deployment. If an opportunity does arise, we'll only have a short window. Keep an eye on the VIPs I tagged earlier. They'll be far more useful alive."_

"Of course, Doctor."

* * *

They were all in agreement that it was only a matter of time before the Grimm attacked Vale. Ironwood had hurried out to coordinate with Atlas from his cruiser's bridge, while Lindy was using her device to speak to her crewmembers back on the _Arthra._

For the moment, Ozpin was left with nothing to do but wait. Glynda was already gone, marshalling the students for the very real possibility of yet another emergency. ' _At least we have some fair warning this time,'_ she'd commented as she swept out the door. For the moment, it was just him, Lindy, Hayate, and Zafira taking up space in Glynda's office.

His scroll started buzzing. Ozpin pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.

Ozpin felt the blood drain from his face in a rush, his grip suddenly cold and clammy around the scroll's edges. A black chess piece stared back at him, waiting for him to answer.

He hesitated, and the decision was made for him. Without his input, the scroll connected the call. Seconds ticked by on the screen.

Everyone was staring at him. Slowly, Ozpin raised the scroll to his ear. His lips felt dry, parched even. "Yes?"

" _Ozpin."_ Her voice was low, drawn out, almost leisurely.

"What do you want?"

" _From you? Nothing at all, Ozpin. Believe it or not, this is a friendly call. After all, we've known each other for so long now."_

"Then-" Ozpin's words caught in his throat, and he had to clear it. "Then why are you calling?"

" _To give you fair warning."_ The ground _shook_ under their feet, and one of Glynda's bookshelves toppled, missing Hayate only by dint of Zafira throwing himself in the way. _I'm coming for the Belkans, whether they're in your precious little Vale or not. If you want your kingdom to see the next sunrise, I suggest you send them away. All five of them._

" _If I were you, I would tell them to go east. It will be easier for everyone involved."_


	39. Prelude II

Author's Note: Once again, this Prelude was written by my partner in crime, Golden Lark. All credit goes to him for it, he's _still_ working on HI a lot with me.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Prelude - Lost for Aye

Belkans.

The word wafted across rumor and whisper.

Five weeks after the Great Blackout began, a single courier ship teleported in system and made a rough landing at the capital starport. The officials on board initially were seeking information from the planet's research leaders, but eventually gave in and explained what they knew of the situation in the greater empire.

It was generally known that a small uprising of experimental subjects, dubbed Belkans, had united and overthrown the Hazredian research leaders on their native world. They had then swiftly taken their experimental training, wrapped it in a pseudo-religious memetic shell, and started infiltrating other research worlds and spreading those mindset and ideals. Aside from the occasional bombing or armed assault, they more or less were beneath notice; a recurring reminder of the shame of the research team that spawned them.

They were, for all intents and purposes, a sect of lab rats that had escaped into the ventilation system and were desperately trying to rescue and recruit more rats to their cause (while wrecking as much as they could in the process). Vermin, one and all.

The courier explained to disbelieving ears that the greatest massing under the Belkan banner to date simultaneously attacked a number of the central communication and mana-channeling hub worlds of the Empire. They had assembled fleets of ships.

Fleets. Multiple.

Now, those fleets were mostly improvised troop carriers and other land assault support craft, but they were numerous enough and tough enough to make the landfalls they attempted and wreck the infrastructure they were targeting in one fell swoop.

Once the general shock and disbelief passed, the courier explained his current mission to travel from world to world, inventorying potential military assets and spreading the word that the Empire was moving to correct this . . . series of errors. Reconstruction would commence after the problem was rectified. However, it was the unspoken portion of the message that spread like wildfire through the populace.

The network was not coming back. The power was not coming back. Not for a long time, and definitely not before all the reserve power capacitors planet-wide were empty. One might ask at this point why local magic power generation wasn't employed; the answer, as always, was a combination of the unique properties of the planet's field and simple budget concerns. Standard generators would not function on the surface, and it was cheaper to beam in power via hypergates than to craft orbital generators of the scale necessary for supplying the whole world.

* * *

It was now six weeks after the Great Blackout, and Damcina faced her Master in their home. It had been decreed across the High Cities that all unnecessary mana expenditure was to cease immediately, for the sake of conservation. This was not limited to drawing from the municipal capacitors; expenditure from personal Linker Cores was still expenditure, including personal spellcraft . . . and the support of familiars.

In her hands she held a locket, which when opened projected a small hologram of her former, mortal self. The girl's image sat, unsmiling, staring into the distance. Also inside the locket was a single lock of black hair.

Hea sighed. "That is a lock of your own hair, from before our contract. I have held it in stasis since that day, so its value as a genetic sample is ideal."

Damcina looked up, frowning. "As a genetic sample?"

Hea held out a small white gem, which she accepted in her other hand. It gently pulsated with light. She tilted her head. "An overcharged uplift gem? But these are for animals."

Hea waved his hand to dismiss the thought. "Technically, it is a familiar matrix stabilizer. They are _necessary_ for non-sapient ascensions, but are still perfectly compatible with otherwise stable base life forms. That gem contains enough mana to help keep you manifested for a while after our contract is broken."

Damcina opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke anyway. "This gem wouldn't keep me manifested for more than a day."

He glanced away, cursed under his breath, then met his familiar's eyes once more. "It will keep you alive until you reached a less mana-conducive environment. On the . . . surface, below. From there you should have at least a week if you conserve your magic. At that point, it's not too late; there are plenty of facilities which could rapidly synthesize a new body for you with that sample. They would still have backup power, especially if the infrastructure allowing workers to easily commute went down first. While you persist, you still speak with my voice and hold my credentials; any of the places I could still access down there, you can enter."

Damcina took in a shuddering breath, understanding that her contract was still being severed. She had accepted it, on some level, once the news had hit, but had until this moment still held out some hope that her master would find some way to keep her safe. This was not the worst-case scenario by far, but it was still a fact that in the next few moments, she would no longer be linked (or beholden) to her sole reason for existing these many, many years.

"Sit down, press the gem to your forehead, and brace for some discomfort."

She did as he asked, and as her vision faded white the last thing she saw was her master doubling over in pain.

* * *

With a start, she snapped awake. Looking around, she found herself in lying on the couch in the sitting room. The house was deathly silent. She wasn't in any pain, and when she reflexively reached out through her bond to check on Hea, she felt only a gaping void.

It was done.

Clasping her hand over her mouth at a sudden wave of nausea, she turned and sat upright, feeling the locket sway back and forth on her neck as she did so. She had just decided to make for the washroom when she saw a folded notecard on the coffee table. Picking it up, she read quickly.

 _Damcina,_

 _They came for me before you woke up. I am to attend the central nexus for the next two days. I am so sorry I could not be there to say goodbye._

 _Thank you for everything, and good luck._

 _-Hea_

The nausea quickly twisted into something else that she was less familiar with, but she decided to ignore it. Standing swiftly, she moved to her chambers and collected what few supplies she felt she would need. As a familiar she needed no food or drink, so her greatest assets at the moment would be related to hiding her status as a familiar (as now with her gem she would be easily mistaken for a lower-class uplifted animal, as opposed to a chimerically-enhanced human). She took a set of matching white and gold-leafed lacquered chopsticks, and did up her hair with them in a manner that accented the snow-white gem, rather than hid it.

Hiding her forehead would only garner suspicion, as was human nature in these times. So instead, she chose to hide in plain sight. On looking in the mirror, she saw what could easily be dismissed as a young rich girl with fair skin, black hair, blue eyes, and extremely expensive taste in hair accessories.

She blinked.

A young rich girl _with no obvious animal features_.

She ran a hand over her head. Her cat ears were, indeed, missing. The eerie silence was less the house and more the fact that she was no longer able to hear all of the subtle tones and whirs in the background.

She felt deaf.

She lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands to snap herself out of her funk, and made her way to her closet one last time. As a civilized society, most fashion was expressed via projected clothing, but the most powerful and decadent of mages (and the entire social strata they interacted with, by association) tended to have a few sets of actual clothing for special situations.

Or, in her master's case, an entire wardrobe for her given that she often operated in high-magic high-interference environments that could disrupt simple projections like fallen leaves in a stiff breeze.

A 'day in town' outfit for her initial exfiltration, then two more sets of hardier, more practical clothing for an unknown and dangerous environment below.

Nodding smartly, she left her home for the last time without looking back.

* * *

Twenty hours later, she stood panting for breath with her feet on the true ground, in the middle of a walkway bordered by overgrown grass on each side.

She had had to walk all the way to the capital's governance tower, then take the stairs down to the surface. As the tower was one of the only structures in the entire city that wasn't floating in the stratosphere, those stairs were somewhat prohibitive. Every hundred stories or so, there was a rest stop stocked with food, water, and a few cots. The descent/ascent was not meant to be made in a single day, even for the most immaculately engineered biological beings.

As she wasn't presently a biological being, she was able to take the entire descent at sprinting speed.

On any other planet she would have simply jumped off the edge of a city block and flown down, but here that strategy would backfire catastrophically. Magic became less stable the closer to the world one got; once she had passed below the city's lower ward fields she felt the magic in the air _change_ \- and if she noticed it that clearly, then any proper mage worth their salt may very well have flinched.

That said, as she was going at a full superhuman sprint, she wasn't in any position to show much of a reaction at all. She simply ran like her life depended on it, down a few dozen thousand stories worth of stairs. Non-stop. For hours.

She didn't respire oxygen, but her construct form was still capable of 'wear' in the sense of exhausting magic for motion and micro-repairs. By the same token her form was programmed to display the common social cues of exhaustion when she was proportionately 'winded.' Needless to say, she had never exerted that much raw energy via mundane physical effort in her life, and her virtual nervous system was screaming at her from a thousand points of pain as she all but collapsed and allowed her regeneration to do its work.

A few short minutes later, she was no longer in pain, but the memory had been seared into her nonetheless. Moving forward, she made her way to the first of the potential facilities she had been told about.

* * *

As she navigated the ghostly abandoned city, she occasionally came across places where buildings from the lower levels of the capital had fallen to ground - and at one point, an entire city block. No glowing mana coursed through carved channels in stone, be it on the roads, or the surface buildings, or the crashed buildings. It felt like a war zone, despite the lack of obvious battle damage. Ruins were ruins, and an Al-Hazredian city engineered to operate in this mana-choked environment looked positively haunting with the glow of mana completely gone.

Cresting one last hill, she finally laid eyes on her first target . . . and saw smoking ruins. The facility looked like it had been torn open, with black smoke billowing out. It was vaguely reminiscent of a steaming, freshly baked dinner roll that had just been cracked open.

Dismissing her food comparisons (she was NOT hungry), she immediately abandoned the idea of getting any closer and went for her secondary target instead.

* * *

After two more days of urban disaster exploring, she made it to the front entrance of her (intact) second option. There were a handful of survivors scattered about, but none of them paid her any mind. Rather, small groups of looters and scavengers were darting from one damaged structure to another, apparently hauling off anything not nailed down.

As her target wasn't damaged and its door access panel was faintly glowing (showing that it still had backup power to the wards), she allowed her hopes to rise a bit. Slipping around the back of the building, she made like she was looking for damage to exploit - when in reality she was simply trying to find a rear or side entrance less exposed to anyone that could see her from the front.

She found one such door and made her way up to it. One surreptitious glance over a shoulder later and she was reasonably sure no one was watching. She palmed the access panel, let the door hiss open, and stepped inside.

* * *

Within an hour she had determined that there was sufficient power andmaterials left for her goal. Taking a strand of hair from the locket, she fed it into the gene sequencer and allowed the machine to begin its work. Meanwhile, she released a few canisters of orange bio-fluid from preservation stasis and socketed them into the rapid cloning tanks.

Once she had done everything the could for the first phase, she pulled an overnight cot out of a storage closet and slept for the first time in many days.

* * *

 **BOOM.**

Damcina jolted awake with a start, confused and disoriented.

 **BOOM.**

Now certain that she heard an explosion, she jumped to her feet and saw . . . that her requested processes were proceeding apace, but the facility's reserve power was draining rapidly due to the security systems activating.

 **BOOoomCRASH.**

Gritting her teeth, she left the lab and sealed the door behind her. Dashing through the corridors, she made it to the front atrium of the building, which was now filled with rubble and more than a few flames. Towering over the opening that used to be the front entrance was a gigantic black gelatinous mass with a few white dots that looked like eyes.

Or at least, Damcina assumed they were eyes when they all twitched and seemed to focus on her. She screamed and turned to run, but before she could move a step a jet-black whiplike tentacle snapped around her waist and hauled her into the air. Struggling desperately, she failed to get any sort of grip on the offending appendage before she was turned around and brought much too close to the creature.

"Oy oy, hold up, look at her forehead!" called a gruff voice.

Her momentum ceased, and she wriggled a bit to get a view of the ground. Casually standing by the creature were two men with what seemed to be goat horns. One had his arms crossed while the other tapped away at what looked like a datapad. Neither had a forehead gem, which meant they were most likely human-based familiars. Or former familiars.

Damcina found herself being slowly lowered to the ground. She waited for the intruders to speak first. The one with free hands obliged. "Terribly sorry about that, miss! We were expecting security drones, not actual people in there!"

She shook her head slowly. "No problem at all, no harm done." She ignored the sweat running down her forehead. _I need to know what they are after, and how badly they want it._ "It's the apocalypse, after all."

"HA!" barked the same man. He slapped his companion on the shoulder. "Listen to this one, she actually gets it!" The latter man just sighed and shook his head, only looking up from his tablet after he finished typing more commands. The gigantic black slimeball flowed onward into the building as he met Damcina's eyes.

"What my brother is trying to say is that it's refreshing to meet someone who actually acknowledges that this is the end of the world out loud. On that point, he and I are in complete agreement. But I digress; let's not allow the end of civilization to force us to act uncivilized. My name is Wilhelm, and my louder counterpart is J-"

Wilhelm was shoved aside and Damcina found herself facing an open, meaty hand. "Jake Grimm, good to meet ya!"

Lacking any other constructive course of action, she accepted the handshake.


	40. Chapter 35

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 35 - Not Today

The kingdom-city of Vale grew into a center of civilization because the land where it rose was both habitable and defensible. Surrounded on many faces by steep, nigh-impassable cliffs and valleys, the land itself was a natural barrier against the Grimm. The stretches of ground that didn't provide strategic advantage were where the city's inhabitants constructed the wall. Taller than a Goliath, made of quarried stone and reinforced concrete, studded with defensive emplacements at regular intervals, and the forests beyond cleared away to a distance of nearly half a mile, it was the primary line of defense against Grimm incursions.

The Grimm poured out of the trees beyond the walls, so thick that they flooded across the grass like a black tide. Vale's defenders were ready. Tracer rounds lanced out from the defensive posts, the dull roar of machine guns interspaced with the sharp crack of rifles. The first few moments saw nothing but beowolves and boarbatusks torn to pieces by the relentless fusillade of Dust rounds.

When the larger, slower ursai came into view, shrugging off the lighter weapons, the _thump_ of mortars were the response, heralding the thunder-like explosions of shrapnel that shattered white bone and tore into sable hide. Nevermores and gryphons were met with bursts of flak from anti-air cannons, ripping the smaller flyers from the sky and making the larger ones pay for every yard of air.

It was common knowledge that when the Grimm attacked, the only way to achieve victory was to kill every single one in the area, because the Grimm would not be deterred by casualties. Losses were nothing to the horde. So, it came to no surprise that the Grimm were undaunted.

When the first goliath shouldered through the trees, trumpeting ire, it took sustained fire from every heavy weapon on that stretch of wall to take the giant beast down. When the second and third followed immediately on its heels, and more appeared along the rest of the wall, Vale as a whole came to realize that this was not a normal Grimm attack.

Blue Fleet lent its assistance wherever it could; the sheer volume of firepower an Atlesian Cruiser could produce was telling, let alone the dozens of gunships attached to each one. But Ironwood only had three cruisers to split between hundreds of miles of battlefront. Within minutes, the tide began to turn in favor of the endless.

* * *

Beacon's armories were once again filled with a rush of bodies as the students hurried to arm themselves. Professors and their graduate assistants did their best to ride herd on the rush, urging both calm and haste.

It was the second time in a week now that Beacon as an academy had deployed in full force, and the armories hadn't yet been restocked. Every last round of ammunition was scrounged up and slotted into magazines, and the last crates of explosives were loaded onto carts to transfer to the bullheads.

Even as the students made their way out of the armories, others replaced them. Cooks and cleaners, janitors and maintenance crew, almost the entire working staff of Beacon were cross-trained to provide support for the huntsmen in the field. Before the doors swung shut behind the last first-years, the bullet presses were already in use, turning stores of raw Dust powder and metal into fresh ammunition.

"Ten drums of five mil, and a crate of grenades!" Ruby transferred the cargo of ammunition into Yatsuhashi's arms as quickly as she could, and the giant second-year barely seemed weighed down. Ruby managed a smile as she initialed the requisition slip. "Don't get too crazy out there, you guys! Save some for us!"

CFVY was already moving for the door, but Coco spared a wave over her shoulder. "I'm sure there'll be plenty left, Ruby." Then they were gone, and she was scrambling to fulfill the next team's ammo request. Behind her, an automated press was already spitting out high caliber rounds, and a magazine loader was beeping for attention, having run out of supply.

Neither Team RWBY nor JNPR were heading to the walls, so both were helping the campus Armsmaster dole out supplies; Headmaster Ozpin had specifically held them back. Ruby understood that the headmaster did everything for a reason, so they had to remain behind and watch everyone else head out. _This is it,_ was the consensus. _This is where Vale makes its stand._ To remain behind when they were fighting for _everyone's_ lives?

It just felt wrong.

The happy _whirr_ of the magazine loader starting its next batch made her start, and Ruby realized she'd been moving on autopilot, lost in her thoughts.

The speaker built into the counter buzzed loudly, and she realized it had been doing so for several moment. She stabbed her finger down onto the intercom button. "Ah- Munitions desk!"

" _Ms. Rose,"_ the headmaster's voice came through, " _please report to Professor Goodwitch's office immediately. Your team is already on the way."_

"On my way!" She hurried out from around the counter, reflexively wiping her hands on her pants. Pulling open the door, she halted in surprise, almost stumbling in her haste. "Signum!"

"Ruby." The swordswoman had been passing by the room, kitted out in her Knight's Clothing and _Laevatein_ at her hip. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she walked, glowing with magic.

"You got paged too?" Ruby fell into step beside her, absently twitching her cloak back into place. Her fingers brushed over _Bardiche's_ storage form, clasped at her collar like a broach.

Signum had slowed a little when Ruby had come through the door, but now she was moving quickly again and Ruby found herself swept up in the knight's pace. Even through the armory walls, she could hear the roar of departing bullheads.

Something was bothering the knight, Ruby was surprised to realize. "What's wrong?"

"Just… a flash of perspective. I am a Belkan Knight, you see." Signum opened her hands, revealing a Belkan cartridge that was quickly slotted into her waiting device. _Laevatein_ parsed out an acknowledgement.

"Yeah, I know that. But I'm not, so…" Ruby let her voice trail off, figuring the statement was obvious enough. For a moment, Signum didn't respond, instead clasping another cartridge between her fingers and forcing magic into the bullet-shaped battery.

It turned out that the leading statement was enough. "I lived throughout years and years of martial warfare. The Belkan Empire was _feudal,_ you understand. Chivalry and honor were of great concerns. Wars were fought over such things. But this… you do not fight for honor, or standing. This is nothing more and nothing less than a battle for survival, for all involved." Signum pursed her lips. "And even in gaining such perspective I find I have trouble _empathizing,_ for I find that I am honored to lend my might in a field of battle where honor has no place."

"That's not a… _bad_ thing though, is it?" Ruby blurred ahead for a moment to pull open another door, so that Signum didn't have to break her stride. Charging cartridges was concentration-intensive, Ruby had read, and Shamal had explained to her that the mana batteries seemed to 'spoil' after a few days unprotected on Remnant. "I mean, honor is part of who you are. It's important to you. I don't think anyone would be upset at you for not letting yourself forget it."

Signum actually smiled, the tiniest twitch of her lips. "I appreciate your words." Then they were outside, moving through the now-perpetual twilight cast by the thick clouds overhead.

Fat, heavy balls of half-frozen sleet thudded into the ground around them, coating the grass and walkways in slush. With _Bardiche_ at her collar, Ruby could _feel_ the wintery power being poured into the air from the top of the CCTS tower, cooling the churning storm bands and slowing the wind. Wiping droplets of wet slush from her face, she could barely see the edge of campus, and knew that Vale was being battered hard by the wind and rain despite her mother's efforts.

"Bring up your barrier jacket, Ruby."

"What?" Ruby looked at Signum again, and noticed that the sleet was bouncing off her without sticking. "Oh, right, environmental defenses! Uhm, Bardiche, set up!"

" _Get Set."_ Magic-forged fabric replaced her clothing in a flash, and _Bardiche_ settled easily into her hand. Dry once more, Ruby had to run to catch back up to Signum, and accepted the temporary loss of her semblance as _worth it._

It only took another minute or so to reach the administrative building, and Ruby once again dashed forward to grab the door. When they reached Professor Goodwitch's office, they found JNPR and the rest of RWBY waiting. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Rubes!" Yang had Blake tucked under her shoulder, who looked for all the world like a drowned cat, and steam was billowing off of her courtesy of her sister's semblance. Weiss looked perfectly fine, not a hair out of place and not a single spot of wetness on her clothes. "Just drying Blake off real fast, she hates the rain."

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's go in, they're waiting for us." Blake pushed away from Yang and straightened, running a hand through her short hair. Jaune opened the door for them and they poured in.

"Students." The rest of the TSAB crew was already inside, and a projected map of Vale was hovering over the deputy headmistress' desk. Lindy, Chrono, and Headmaster Ozpin were gathered around the display, and Ruby could see tiny Grimm representations arrayed around the edges of the city map. Signum was already speaking to Hayate and the other _Wolkenritter,_ their countenances dark with concern. "We will be with you in a moment."

It was a long minute that they waited, punctuated by the sound of bullheads roaring over the campus. Then suddenly the huddle broke, Lindy and Chrono moving away from the map to speak with the other mages. Headmaster Ozpin gestured them closer, the motion sharp with tension. "My apologies for making you wait."

"Don't worry about it, Headmaster. We understand." Jaune spoke the words going through all of their heads, Ruby was sure.

"Then I will be brief, for I am afraid we have little time." The headmaster paused for a moment, taking a breath. "As you are no doubt aware, the enemy is at the walls. Every resource Beacon currently has at its disposal is being sent to defend this kingdom from the threat of the Grimm, save you. I held your teams back from deploying to the walls for a reason.

"I am sending the eight of you to capture Cinder Fall, as you are both the only teams I can trust with the task and the only teams that understand the gravity of the situation." Ozpin turned, tapping the end of his cane against the paper map of Vale that Roman Torchwick had provided. "Our best guess is that she is at either of these two locations."

"We'll have to hit both at once, then. JNPR will take one and RWBY will take the other." Jaune nodded to the others.

"You will be on your own. The TSAB is not available for backup; we need them at the walls where the sheer power of their magic can be used against the Grimm. I will not lie to you. Cinder Fall is the Maiden of Fall now, and even though she is as yet new to the full extent of her power, she will be lethally dangerous."

Ruby looked down at _Bardiche's_ axe-like shape in her hands, frowning. "I… hopefully can provide magic to counter her if she's at our location, but what about Team JNPR?"

"I've got them covered!" Reinforce flitted over from where she'd been with the _Wolkenritter,_ her cherubic expression serious. "Penny put down enough mana sensors throughout Vale that Meister Hayate shouldn't need me for targeting assistance! I'm your mage support, JNPR!"

"Excellent." Headmaster Ozpin nodded in thanks. "Again, because Cinder Fall is the Maiden of Fall, she must be apprehended alive, but I cannot stress enough that her capture is not worth your lives. I expect to see all of you again."

"We'll find her, Headmaster! And we'll bring her back, whether she likes it or not!" Eight voices lifted in agreement.

The headmaster set his empty mug down on his desk, making a hollow thunk. "Good hunting, all of you."

* * *

The wind from the bullheads' backwash tore at his suit jacket as the last stragglers lifted off from the airfield. Ozpin stood tall, watching as the overloaded tilt-jets turned toward the horizons and rocketed off as fast as their engines would take them.

Once again, Beacon's student body was leaping into the fray, joined by their peers from Haven and Shade, heedless of the danger. He feared for them, now more than ever before, but he was also proud. _Huntsmen, every one of you. I hope beyond hope for your safe return._

Flashes of light flew overhead, nearly every color of the rainbow, quickly overtaking the bullheads and speeding off ahead. In the far distance he could see six more streaks curving into the air from the dockyards; Every flight mage Lindy had to spare was deploying in desperate defense of Vale. Only Fate, Amy, and Lindy herself had remained behind, and even Lindy would be joining the rest in moments.

"Get Fate to the Arthra as fast as you can," the admiral was saying to Amy, "and then I need you at the comms. We need a tactical coordinator."

Amy snapped off a salute and ran for a waiting bullhead, but Fate lingered to pull Lindy into a hug. Ozpin turned away to give them the moment's privacy, and an instant later he heard Fate's footsteps hurrying away.

Lindy joined him a moment later, _Durandal_ gripped tightly in one hand. "Well. This is it then, isn't it." Her voice was as dark as Ozpin had yet heard, and this time he knew it wasn't an act.

"It appears so." Ozpin hesitated, and his eyes turned down for a moment, ignoring the wintery sleet falling from above. "Admir- Lindy. I must extend my apologies. It was never my intent to draw your people into-"

"Stop." Lindy's voice was sharp. "Stop that right now, Ozpin. My people are soldiers. If given the choice, every single one of them would be out there anyways."

The silence that followed only lasted for a few seconds, but to Ozpin it felt like an eternity. _It's happening again._ "It may be a hopeless battle, Lindy. On Remnant, kingdoms fall."

" _Not today."_ Lindy's barrier jacket appeared in a flash of light, turning the slush around them to ice. "We've fought hopeless battles before, Headmaster. I'll see you when this is all over."

She didn't give him the chance to reply, arrowing into the storming sky and leaving a trail of falling ice behind her.

* * *

"Damage report!"

James only stayed on his feet by dint of the iron grip his artificial arm had on the bridge railing. Captain Argent had the chair, commanding the cruiser itself while James tried to keep an eye on the overall battle.

Blue one was listing badly, slewing through the air even as her flak batteries fired salvo after salvo into the Grimm swarm around them. One of the bridge ratings called back a reply, his voice thick with stress. "Starboard Compressor Three is down! A nevermore flew straight into the intakes!"

"Compensate and keep us airborne! Gunnery crews, watch for more suiciders!" With slow grace, the deck leveled back out. James didn't dare release his hold on the railing, though.

"Captain Argent, take us around to grid seven. The wall's about to be overrun." Giving the tactical board another glance, he grabbed his mic and issued orders for their gunships enter formation.

"Contacts!" Before the captain could demand clarification, blinding light poured into the bridge through the viewports, and the Grimm harassing Blue One's wounded side vanished from the tactical display.

Blinking his eyes clear, James saw a pair of human shapes form up outside the cruiser's window, leaving trails of purple and green. _Normally I'd say those colors go terribly together, but damn if that isn't a beautiful sight._

"Sirs!" The communications officer looked up, one hand held to his earpiece. "Receiving transmission from… Beta Two?"

James nodded, tapping out commands to adjust the tactical display. "Acknowledged. Get them patched into the general net and put them through to my commset."

There was a moment of static in his ear, and then Lockheed's voice came through loud and clear. " _Beta Two has your flank, General. Tell your gunners to handle the small fry. We'll keep the big ones off you."_

* * *

The rain was pouring down so fiercely that visual acuity was measurable in mere yards. Penny was forced to reference the street map of Vale in her databanks as she ran at full speed toward the closest section of wall.

Well, almost full speed. Empty vehicles abandoned in the streets impeded her progress, especially when she didn't detect them in time to maneuver around them. Thankfully, her platform was constructed of sterner stuff than commercial automobiles, though the damage to her synth-skin covering was starting to add up. _I must look an absolute fright right now!_

Finally though, the wall was before her, even if she couldn't yet see it. Targeting reticles locked onto the top of the wall's estimated location, and four of her swords launched for the lip. Two shot too far overhead, but the other two buried into the wall's facade and anchored in place.

Penny reeled herself in, launching up to the top and grabbing the edge to haul herself over.

Vale's defenders were everywhere, yells and screams audible over the _crack_ of Dust weapons. Above all else were the roars of the Grimm. Penny paused for an instant, devoting extra processor power to her motion trackers. There were _hundreds_ of possible targets nearby, the number constantly bouncing up and down as indistinct forms moved in and out of her sensor radius.

It took a painfully slow three seconds for her passive processors to register the imprint of her Aura against those around her, but she was able to properly catalogue the multitude of contacts as _Human_ or _Grimm._ Without further hesitation, her swords flew out in number, and Penny began cutting into the soulless beasts in exactly the manner she was created for. "Specialist Schnee!" she broadcasted, "Polendina on site at Grid Four! Over!"

" _Copy, Polendina. I'm two hundred yards from your position. Meet me halfway."_

Even through the rain, Penny could see the blue-white flashes of Winter Schnee's glyphs, and she moved that way.

* * *

"Go, go! Left side's about to breach!"

Neptune and Sun ran for all they were worth, at points even leaping off the backs of beowolves between them and the next stretch of wall. They were the only two huntsmen for hundreds of yards in either direction, and they were spending as much time dashing from hotspot to hotspot as they were actually fighting the Grimm.

Sun dove in ahead, sweeping his staff and leaving a trail of stumbling and falling Grimm for Neptune to finish off. He struggled to keep up, sinking blue pulses into the hapless beasts with every footfall.

Before he knew it, he was plunging his halberd into an alpha ursa's flank, just as the massive bear-like Grimm was about to rip out a damaged section of wall. _I can't believe I just did that_ echoed through his racing thoughts. The beast roared, and the claws that were about to rip into rebarred concrete came slashing down toward him instead.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this._ Neptune planted his foot, twisting and bringing the halberd across with all his might. In a spray of hissing ichor and black steam, he disemboweled the ursa, and the claws meants for his head missed by inches. The creature slumped forward to collapse against the wall.

Rapid-fire shotgun blasts sounded behind him, and he spun to bring his rifle up. The Grimm were pressing hard, and only Sun's fast hands and faster feet kept him from being overrun. Neptune flicked the selector over to full-auto and started hosing down the beowolves around Sun. "We could really use some help down here!" he yelled into his scroll.

The response was _flame._ A tsunami of raging fire poured over the Grimm, missing both him and Sun by scant feet and leaving ash behind. Neptune tracked a plummeting figure, and watched from afar as Signum cleaved a goliath from end to end.

Neptune gave himself an entire, much needed three seconds to shake his head in disbelief, then shoved the feeling into the back of his head and reloaded. _Okay. Okay, I'm doing this._ "C'mon, Sun! We can't let her have all the action!"

"Hey! Just because you're suddenly in the mood to show off for your hot girlfriend-" Anything else Sun had to say was drowned out by the rumbling booms of artillery.

Together they charged back into the fray.

* * *

Chrono banked and dove, narrowly avoiding a swarm of nevermore feathers. A _dozen_ of the giant flyers were after him after he put three of them down with well-aimed Blaze Cannons.

They seemed to take _offense_ to that. Well, that, and the constant harassment of homing shooters he was leaving in his wake. Still, there were so many now that he couldn't take any time to charge up a kill shot; it was everything he could do to keep ahead of them now.

Thankfully, the _Arthra's_ communication suite was functioning well enough to work as a transceiver, finally letting them broadcast to each other by bouncing the signal to the ship first. "Anytime, Takamachi! Sooner is better!"

" _Sorry sir, you're on your own!"_ Cursing, Chrono threw a hurried glance over his shoulder. A kilometer away, visible even through the rain, he could see the pink lightshow as Nanoha flew circles around twice his number of flyers, drumming them out of the sky one by one. But for every nevermore or griffon taken down, thrice that number took their place.

 _Well this is just great._ Chrono traded altitude for speed again, _S2U_ bringing up a tactical map in his HUD. _Maybe someone in Beta is close enough to-_

A near-solid line of tracer fire lanced up from the wall a hundred yards below, blowing through the lead nevermore's wing and traversing to bisect a ragged line through a second. Even through the thunder of both lightning and explosions, he could hear the ripping whir of Coco Adel's minigun.

 _S2U_ squawked in his ear, relaying a transmission from his scroll. " _Gotcha covered, Harlaown! See if you can bring them back around for a lower pass! Yatsu wants to hit them with his sword!"_

* * *

"I'm… genuinely surprised you didn't send me back out there. Thankful, I admit, but surprised."

What Yasmine did not say was that she wanted _absolutely_ nothing to do with anyone who could, at will, create an explosion of that magnitude. By all rights, she should be dead; the blastwave that the newcomer girl had unleashed caught up with her almost instantly, and she only had Bronze to thank for her survival. Her guardian was nursing hideous burns where he'd borne the brunt of the assault; he'd jumped in the way just in time, holding her close and putting his back to the blast.

They'd managed to return to Salem's castle, beaten and cowed. Even Bronze was subdued, having felt true pain for the first time since he had awakened his Aura. Now, Yasmine found herself standing awkwardly outside a room of which she'd never seen open before. The Queen of the Grimm was inside, bustling about with more than a small amount of energy. _Should I be… seeing this?_

"What?" Salem, the Black Queen of the Grimm, sounded _distracted,_ even as black-veined hands swept over the counter. "Oh, no. No, no, I don't want you anywhere _near_ the Belkans. They specialize in killing people like you, Yasmine."

"Maidens?"

"Spellcasters in general."

"...which implies that Dustless magic exists outside of the Seasonal Mantles." _I knew she had her secrets to keep, but…_ "...what about Briar and our little flame? I know Cinder is still within the city."

"I'm sending what assistance I can, but I have bigger things to focus on. Dearest Cinder is, unfortunately, going to have to trust her own contingencies to escape." A jar filled with tiny white crystals found its way into Salem's hand, and she took a pinch between her fingers. "As far as Briar… well. I told her to return with the Kraken and she refused my command."

" _Refused?"_

"She's focused on some foolish desire of vengeance for her embarrassment on Patch. If that is how she wishes to be, then so be it. I have no use for a loose cannon." The salt was scattered over the cut of meat on the counter. "If she gets herself killed, we'll just have to find the new Summer Maiden. If she survives to return, which I hope she does, I'll find a better host for her power."

There was a brief pause as Salem turned up the heat, setting the butter in the skillet to melting. Yasmine pursed her lips, still feeling off balance due to the scene before her. The concept of Briar's inevitable demise didn't bother her at all, but… "I was not aware you _cooked,_ Salem."

"Of course I cook. Who do you think prepares the meals you've partaken of during our more formal meetings? Have you ever seen a human servant roaming these halls? Would you trust a _beowolf_ to not make a complete ruin of the appliances? I sure wouldn't."

"My apologies." Salem seemed almost… happy. _Flippant,_ even. "Would you rather I leave you be?"

"Nonsense. You've been in my service for fifteen years now," The cut of beef hit the skillet with a sizzle. "The cat's out of the bag anyways. Cooking is simple, you see. Mundane, calming. Easy even when devoting most of my attention to the Grimm outside Vale. And really, I believe it to be a mark of true civilization. We are more than beasts, are we not? Also I hope you like your steak rare because I refuse to ruin a perfectly good ribeye by overcooking it."

Salem bustled about for a few moments longer, _chattering_ to herself as much as to Yasmine while the scrollscreen on the wall played live footage from Vale's news networks. The surprisingly steady hand of the cameraman tracked a vivid blue streak through the air above the walls, and when the camera zoomed in and focused she was able to recognize the magic-wielding man from the Steppes. All in all, she'd counted over a dozen of his compatriots now, all unleashing blasts of pure energy against the Grimm.

"Come along then. We'll retire to the atrium." Salem swept along with finished meals in her hands, her pace quick and high-spirited. Yasmine followed her up the long, shallow ramp to the second floor; there were several such inclines throughout the castle. In fact, as far as Yasmine was aware, there wasn't a single flight of stairs in the entire structure.

Salem _still hadn't stopped talking,_ the entire time they were walking. _Chatty Salem is weird,_ Yasmine couldn't help but think. "You seem to be in a surprisingly good mood, considering the situation."

"When a large problem presents itself, suddenly all the rest of your problems are very, very small. I can always find the Maidens again, even if it takes fifty years. What I am _not_ willing to deal with in fifty years is an entrenched Belkan culture on my world, even if it means destroying an entire kingdom to eliminate them." Salem set the meal down, gesturing for Yasmine to have a seat. "And, it feels good to cut loose."

Yasmine eased into her chair, looking down at the plate in front of her. _It does smell delicious._ "What are we going to do?"

"You are going to keep resting. There will be much to do once this is over and the dust settles."

* * *

The buzzing of her scroll had her scrabbling for it in clumsy haste, and she nearly dropped it before managing to raise it to her eyes. However, the caller identification that greeted her wasn't the black chess piece she'd been waiting for.

Cinder took a moment to let her heart calm down, then raised the scroll to her ear. "What do you want, Roman?"

" _Cinder, dear! Haven't you been paying attention to the news? There's a damned war going on outside!"_

She had to hold the scroll away from her ear for a moment; Roman was nearly _shouting_ to be heard over the roar of a bullhead's engines. "I'm aware. Why are you calling me?"

" _I figured you might want a lift out of here before the Grimm destroy, you know, everything in the city. Look at me, being considerate and all that."_ There was forced aplomb in his tone. Understandable, really. By all accounts it was _hell_ outside. " _But, it's hard to give you a ride if I don't know where to pick you up."_

Cinder let out a breath. A bullhead _would_ be a nice way to get out of the city, and she was confident that she could cajole the Grimm into ignoring the craft as it flew out over the ocean. The offer really was considerate of him; Roman would usually only be concerned with saving his own-

 _Wait._

Her gut _twisted,_ a feeling that she was both unaccustomed to and more than willing to _listen_ to. Roman Torchwick _never_ called her, he always, _always_ waited for her to contact him.

 _Something is wrong._

He didn't give one lick of care about _her._ He only cared about the hold she had over him, and that she was his best chance for survival. If Cinder was caught in a situation where she would die simply from his inaction, Roman Torchwick would put his feet on the nearest coffee table and drink to her demise.

She nearly dropped the scroll her hand was shaking so badly, she was so angry. "Roman. Have you so conveniently forgotten the terms of our agreement?"

" _Agreement? Of course not! C'mon, Cinder, clock's ticking! It's bad out here already and the weather report says there's a hundred percent chance of Grimm. I don't want to be here when_ that _storm blows in. Where are you?"_

He wanted her location, and the only reason he would want her location if she was already going to die would be to _ensure_ that it happened. Cinder wanted to spit in his face, but imagining what was coming would have to do. "Consider our contract _broken,_ Roman. Remember when you're holding what's left of little Neopolitan that _you_ made this happen."

For a moment there was nothing but the roar of the bullhead on the other end of the line. When Roman finally did respond, his voice was as grave as she'd ever heard from him. " _You keep your damned hands off my niece, Cinder. You don't have any hold over us anymore."_

She laughed, letting as much of her anger go as she could. "Dear Roman, when did I _ever_ say that the leash I held was _Neo's?"_

Cinder slammed the scroll shut, cracking the casing with the force. "Mercury!"

"Yeah, what's up?" He poked his head out of the other room, a piece of jerky hanging from his teeth.

"We need to go, Roman burned us!"

"Seriously? There's some irony." Mercury hurried into the room, throwing the last few supplies they were taking into a pair of duffel bags. "I always thought you were gonna be the one to burn _him."_

"Believe me, I would love to." It only took a few more minutes for them to get everything together, and then they were moving for the door.

Mercury was reaching for the handle when the door blew open.

* * *

" _Sorry kids. It was worth a try, but she didn't bite."_ Torchwick sounded genuinely disappointed over the scroll. " _She's on her guard. Be careful down there."_

He disconnected, leaving just JNPR and RWBY in the call. "Well, we're three minutes out, everyone." Ruby noticed her leg was bouncing up and down constantly, and she forced it still. "Probably best if we hit both locations at the same time, right?"

" _Yeah, that's for the best. We're setting up outside site two n-"_ A crack of thunder drowned out Jaune's words for a moment. " _-ing for your signal. Good luck!"_

"I copy, Jaune! Good hunting!"

The safehouse was a small warehouse at the edge of the gutted commercial district. Two minutes later, Team RWBY jumped out of their bullhead, falling through the wind and rain for the rooftop across the street from their target. It only took moments for them to leap down to the street, at which point Ruby held her scroll to her ear again. "Jaune, we're in position! Breaching in fifteen seconds!"

" _Fifteen seconds, mark!"_

Behind her, she heard Yang chortle, muttering to herself. "Silly Jaune, she's not Mark. She's Ruby!"

Ruby ignored the joke, counting down. Pointing Yang toward the door, she held up five fingers, counting off. Yang squared a shoulder, and at three started sprinting toward the door. The rest of Team RWBY ran close behind.

The door blasted open like it had been shot by a cannon, torn completely off its hinges and slammed to the floor. Team RWBY poured in, weapons raised.

Ruby was just behind Yang, _Bardiche's_ scythe blade glowing a menacing, electric red. "SURRENDER, CINDER FALL!"

* * *

Torchwick sighed, letting go of the bullhead's stick and allowing the craft to idle in the air for a moment. "Well, we knew it probably wasn't going to work, but the kids asked us to try. Let's get out while the getting out's good, eh?"

Neo strapped herself into the copilot seat, looking a bit subdued. She'd heard the entire conversation, and Cinder's last comment was worrying her, he know. Torchwick reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Hey, it's okay. She can't get to us now. We just get clear of the fighting and keep going like we always do, okay?"

Neo looked at him, eyes white. Torchwick gave her a grin, trying to lift her spirits. "Hell, there's even a chance that Vale will pull through this with those TSAB people on their side. If they do, we come back like good puppies and get our ride to the stars, right?"

That earned a small smile. Torchwick grinned wider, turning and reaching for the stick-

A lifetime of quick reflexes made him jerk back around, staring into the shadows behind the cockpit chairs. Nothing greeted his eyes. It was just the two of them.

Disquieted, Torchwick settled back into his seat. For the briefest instant he had been _certain_ that he'd seen red.

* * *

"-wait a minute you're not Cinder."

 _Well, this is an unwelcome surprise._ He turned slowly to regard the _students_ that had busted through the warehouse door, even as the rest of his associates leapt to their feet and grabbed for whatever weapons were at hand. There were four of them, he saw; a well-built, athletic teen with a messy swirl of blonde hair, a small slip of a black-haired girl holding a crackling, glowing scythe of crimson energy, the _Schnee Heiress herself,_ and-

"Adam!" And _her._ Blake Belladonna stared at him from the back of the quartet of girls, eyes wide with surprise and sudden apprehension.

"Blake. _This_ is what you abandoned us for? This is why you abandoned me?" He narrowed his eyes, sweeping his gaze across them again even as his hand settled on _Wilt's_ hilt. "It's terrible enough that you ran away, but you ran to the _Schnees?_ How could you do this to me?"

"R-ran to the- what are you- no! No, I _left_ because you turned into a madman!" Blake was off-balance, struggling for words. The other girls glanced at her in concern.

"Blake, you know this guy?" The blonde focused on him, even as the fighters with him brought up their weapons.

Her voice seemed to have a stabilizing effect on Blake, and she gave herself a shake, raising _Gambol Shroud._ "...yeah. He was my partner in the White Fang. He's a large part of the reason they went wrong."

"Wrong? _Wrong?"_ The words stung, almost as much as her betrayal. "Humans are the enemy, my love. You used to understand that, but somehow they've confused-"

The blonde cut him off, rolling her eyes. "Crazy ex, got it. Everyone has one, right? Don't worry Blakey, we've got your back."

Adam cursed, then signaled his soldiers. "Kill the humans." Gunfire erupted from behind him, and the huntress students dove for cover behind stacked boxes and crates. Except for the blonde; she charged forward, straight for him. Adam set his stance, readying Wilt, and just as she was pushing off to send a plated fist careening toward him, he slashed-

Blake crashed into the blonde from the side, knocking her away. His sword slashed through her from shoulder to hip, sending the two halves of her body spinning away into shadows. _Dammit!_ "Don't let him hit you, Yang! His semblance, it's not something we can take on like that!"

The heiress' glyphs lit up the warehouse with harsh white light. Next to her the other girl was bringing up crackling red glyphs of her own from which bolts of scarlet energy shot forth, tearing into the containers his soldiers were hiding behind. Adam's eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. It was the same not-glyphs that those warriors had used to stop their attack during the Breach.

Two of the bolts sped toward him, and he stopped them cold with _Blush,_ feeling the energy pool in his aura. _She needs to die first._ Blake tried to stop him, but he knew too well how she fought and the gauntlet of shadow clones barely slowed him down. _Wilt_ ejected from _Blush_ with a gunshot crack, screaming for the girl's neck.

* * *

A blast of flame roared toward them, searing heat making the air waver with its ferocity. It crashed into a spinning white shield of magic, pouring off to the sides and setting the walls behind them ablaze. Reinforce had her tiny hands splayed forward, her face set in a grimace, and Jaune took the chance to yell out. "Cinder Fall, Mercury Black! You're under arrest! Lay down your arms and you'll be-" He paused, struggling to remember the exact words Lindy had given him in the face of all that _fire._ "You'll be permitted to plead in your own defense! Failure to surrender will be considered an admission of guilt, and- shit!"

They all had to dive aside as Mercury added his firepower to the assault, and Reinforce's shield spell gave way. The floor where they'd been standing exploded, buffeting them with splinters of burning wood and sharp glass. "Ozpin is a fool, and you'll pay the price for his arrogance!" Cinder seethed, conjuring spears of flaming obsidian around her and sending them forth.

Jaune threw himself forward, Pyrrha beside him, and their raised their shields to block. Explosions hammered their shield-arms, but it gave Ren and Nora the cover they needed to gather themselves, and behind them Reinforce retaliated with chilling magic of her own. The room turned into a burning winterland, fire and ice warring for dominance.

Mercury leapt them from the side, and Ren put himself in the way, his flashing blades and the assassin's strikes moving almost too fast for Jaune to keep track of. As one, Jaune and Pyrrha surged forward, keeping Cinder's attention for the split second needed for Nora to leap over them, _Magnhild_ raised for a crushing overhead slam.

Cinder saw through the ruse with a scant moment to spare, leaping back just as _Magnhild_ came down. The ground cratered, floorboards smashed to kindling and the concrete below shattering from the force of the impact. Humid air erupted from the hole, Nora's strike having punched clean through to the utility tunnels below.

A heavy crunch of boot meeting flesh sounded behind him, along with a shotgun blast. Ren flew sideways, tumbling across the ground and rolling back to his feet. Momentarily free of his opponent, Mercury closed in on the one person giving them a real chance against Cinder's magic.

Jaune shouted out a warning to Reinforce, even as he brought up his shield and charged. Her hastily erected shield sundered under the force of Mercury's kick, but it bought enough time for Jaune to slam into the grey-haired student, sending him skidding across the icy floor and giving her the chance to get clear. "Rein! Get to Pyrrha!"

The fires were starting to win, consuming the room in a conflagration. Jaune ignored the flames licking at his boots, trusting his Aura to protect him, and squared off against Mercury. He set his stance, shield raised and _Crocea Mors_ solid in his hand. He could hear more explosions behind him, and the rapid crack of _Milo's_ rifle form.

Mercury made to rush him, then suddenly jumped to the side, and before Jaune could react the broken floor erupted upward.

Creeps clawed their way out of the tunnels below, screeching for blood.

* * *

"Fate, Reinforce reports that JNPR has engaged Subject Fall at their target location!" Amy sounded harried, struggling to keep track of the communications coming through the _Arthra's_ comm array. With one hand, she was moving force-marker pins across a physical map of Vale, the other rapidly tabbing between comm channels. "And- comm alert from _Bardiche_ direct, automatics activated. Vital monitors show that Ruby's okay, though!"

"Acknowledged." Fate knew she could handle it. Amy was the best there was, after all. Studying the map for a brief instant while she ran Chrono's lessons through her head, Fate tapped a point on the map. "Tell Beta Lead to get to Grid Ten ASAP. They need more mage support there."

"On it!" A moment later, the pin signifying Captain Raytheon and his section mate was moved. "They'll be in position in one minute."

The tactical map wasn't good, and in fact was more hectic than anything Fate had ever seen. She'd been in the center of warzones before; as an Enforcer, certain capture missions had taken place in very hostile territory, but she'd never before been part of one of the main forces involved. Chrono had seen more of the like, but he was caught up in the front lines and wasn't there to give advice.

Amy suddenly pulled her headset away from her ear, wincing. Even from a few feet away, Fate could hear the hissing crackle of interference. Five seconds later, it died out, and Amy replaced her earpiece. "What was that?" Fate asked.

Her sister-in-law listened again for a moment, then swiped her hand over an edge of the map and removed a swath of Grimm markers that would have been hundreds of meters wide on the battlefront. "Hayate just went loud, she dropped a _Mistilteinn_ over the eastern front."

Fate nodded, pursing her lips. "Tell her to be careful with her mana. We don't want her running dry this early."

Amy nodded and relayed the message. "Captain Yagami acknowledges and- Hayate? What happened? What do you- brace for-?"

The _Arthra_ lurched, bucking like a maddened beast. Fate scrambled for the nearest railing only for the deck to drop out from under her, and then she was falling.

* * *

Hayate let out a breath, bringing _Schwertkreuz_ back up with a nod of satisfaction. The seven rays of _Mistelteinn_ had done exactly as she'd intended, petrifying hundred-yard wide swaths of the Grimm army. Even turned to stone, the Grimm she'd caught in the spell were slowly disintegrating and fading away. But for the moment, their statues impeded the ones further behind, becoming yet another obstacle between them and the walls.

Amy's voice sounded in her mind, courtesy of the _Arthra._ " _Fate says good shot, but be careful not to waste too much mana! We're gonna need more of that as this keeps going!"_

"I know, don't worry!" she responded. "It seemed like a good time here. How's the-"

A muffled _boom_ shook the air, and Hayate clamped a hand over her hat by reflex. Looking for the source, she trained her visor toward the horizon and the mountains there. Letting Vita and Zafira deal with the Grimm flyers trying to reach her, she tapped her visor and magnified the image.

Hayate was forced to wait while _Schwertkreuz_ struggled to build a coherent image through the heavy rain. After a long moment, she could see that the mountains had shifted, chunks of rock sliding down their faces. From so far away, even magnified it looked like pouring grains of sand, but Hayate knew that they had to be prodigiously large boulders-

Her eyes widened. Ignoring Amy's voice in her head for the moment, Hayate tracked her vision across the ground, sweeping closer to Vale's walls. _There- oh no._

She could _see_ the shockwave traveling through the ground, a wave of rising and falling dirt and stone moving faster than she could fly. Trees fifty feet tall were battered and knocked over like bowling pins, and before she could even cry a warning the shock swept underneath the wall.

Even so high in the air she could hear the grinding as worked stone moved in ways it was never intended. In bare seconds, the shockwave was careening through the outskirts of Vale, shattering buildings and moving deeper into the city. "Amy! Incoming shock, _brace for impact!"_

Somewhere nearby, Hayate heard Arf scream Fate's name, and there was a flash of orange.

* * *

" _Defenser."_

A red glyph flashed into place between the girl and _Wilt,_ casting a harsh crimson glare throughout the warehouse. Adam's blade crashed into the barrier, sending withering cracks through the creation and shattering it into shards of scintillating light, continuing on to slice into the cloak wrapped around her collar-

-and bouncing off, leaving little more than a jagged scrape in the fabric. _The hell?_

" _Sonic Move."_ The girl vanished suddenly, reappearing a dozen paces away, and another methodical bark from her weapon sent a blast of spinning red discs hurling toward him. Adam managed to catch most of them on his sword and scabbard, but several got past and sliced into his Aura.

Behind him, he could hear shotgun blasts and the impact of fists meeting flesh. "RUBY!"

"I'm fine! Keep concentrating on the grunts, I'll keep him busy!" Another burst of energy flew in his direction, and Adam threw himself out of the way.

The screams and shouts of his soldiers filled his ears. _That's their game. They're going to finish off my support and try to gang up on me._ Adam disengaged, ducking a larger bolt of red and charging for the Heiress.

The delicious look of surprise on the Schnee bitch's face buoyed him, and _Wilt_ launched forward to skewer-

-red light caught his wrist, halting his momentum so suddenly that he felt his teeth snap shut. In the instant it took him to tear his arm free from the binding of light, the Schnee girl ducked back, putting a wall of ice between her and him and _refocusing her attention on his men._

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he whirled. The red girl was on him again, a crackling scythe blade kept scant inches from his face by _Blush_ slamming against the weapon's shaft. _Shit!_ Once more, the energy he stored coursed through his blade, only to be met by two of the shields of energy, projected in front of her outstretched hand. His Wither expended itself on the first, and the second stopped his unaugmented blade cold.

 _She can layer defenses._ Charged with enough power, his semblance could destroy any single thing it hit, be it object or person. But stacking those shields away from herself, each one was a distinct and separate entity. _This is bad._ Adam jumped back, slashing through another bind even as it flew through the air toward him.

The last of his soldiers fell; beaten by ice or fists or blade he didn't even know. The four students- _students!-_ surrounded him, weapons raised, and he found himself backing up against a wall.

Then the floor _jumped,_ the building letting out a groaning complaint. The ground shook mercilessly, throwing them all to their knees.

* * *

The creep lunged for his throat, and Jaune threw his shield in the way just in time for it to slam into the metal surface and bounce off, shoving him back a few steps. Mercury jumped _over_ him, tucking into a roll and disappearing into the growing inferno.

Before he could bring _Crocea Mors_ around to gut it, a hammer crashed down onto the creep's back with a bone-shattering crunch. Nora was there, spinning to launch another Grimm through the burning front wall. "Mercury's going after Pyrrha and Rein! Go, we'll hold the Grimm!"

"Thanks, Nora! Stay safe, both of you!" Ren was a slashing flurry of green and black, inflicting crippling gashes in the Grimm lizards and leaving them for Nora to finish off. The martial artist still managed to give him a nod as he ran by, and Jaune pushed through the flames deeper into the safehouse.

White steam and black smoke made it hard to breathe, let alone see. Jaune almost fell into a burning pit, and tumbled over it only by dint of his foot landing on yet another creep's head, sending the creature screeching back into the darkness below. He stumbled up a flight of stairs into the next room, trying to get his bearings.

Jaune saw a flash of white through the smoke and _felt_ the chill of Reinforce's magic washing past him, and he hurried in that direction as quickly as he could. A blast rocked the room, and deflected fire roared over him to burn a gaping hole clean through the wall. Rain and sleet poured in, and the smoke started rushing out the gap.

 _Where is- there!_ He caught a glimpse of black and grey, skulking through the harsh shadows behind Pyrrha's red-and-gold form; her back was left exposed by her effort to ward off Cinder's fire. Jaune raised his shield and charged again, yelling to draw attention.

It worked. The assassin spun just before he launched toward Pyrrha, trying to dance out of Jaune's path. Jaune managed to clip him with the edge of his shield, sending him rolling across the floor. Jaune chased him down, sword flashing orange in the firelight.

 _Ouch._ Jaune shoved himself back up off the floor, shaking his head clear after Mercury pounded him with punch after kick. He had barely realized it was happening. "Get back here, you bastard! I'm not done with you yet!"

Another thundercrack kick came his way, but this time Jaune was able to get his shield in place. It rang like a gong, sending a tremor up his arm. He tried to slash _Crocea Mors_ at Mercury's midsection, but a well-placed punch caught his wrist and almost made him drop the blade. _Crap. He's_ way _better than I am._

He kept his grip, though, pushing through the wave of uncertainty and remembering Signum's lessons. _The sword is an extension of the self._ Another slash was met with the same fate, but he steeled his arm against the pain and managed to bash his shield into Mercury's chest, earning an _oomph_ from him. Then Mercury was on him again, too close for him to swing his sword.

A boot slammed into his knee, the blast of shotgun pellets skipping off his Aura. Two punches caught his face, sending him reeling, and another kick knocked his shield out of alignment. Mercury's fist crashed into his arm again, sweeping _Crocea Mors_ out wide. There was no way he'd be able to bring the sword back around in time.

He let _Crocea Mors_ go. For the briefest instant, he saw Mercury's eyes tracking the blade as it flashed through the air. Jaune clenched his fist and slammed it forward with all his strength, catching Mercury in the jaw and spinning the assassin around with the force of it. Mercury stumbled to one knee, stunned by the impact.

Jaune tackled him to the floor, a smoldering coffee table crunching beneath them. The assassin-boy struggled, managing to knee Jaune in the gut, but he pushed down and kept him trapped there, pounding his fists into Mercury's face and chest. They rolled and fought across the floor, struggling for the upper hand.

Surprisingly, Jaune managed to keep it. _What do you know, he sucks at wrestling!_ Jaune found himself with one of Mercury's legs caught in his grip.

Mercury's elbow caught him in the kidney, sending a flare of pain through his weakened Aura. Jaune grit his teeth, dropped his weight onto Mercury's hips, and _torqued_ for all he was worth _._

For a moment, he could feel Mercury's Aura resisting, but even mechanical joints were never meant to bend in such a way. With a screeching squeal that could be heard even over the fire, Mercury's knee _shattered._ Mercury screamed in pain, and Jaune ripped the metallic leg loose, spinning around and hammering Mercury across the jaw with his own prosthetic limb.

The Assassin went limp, out cold. Jaune panted for breath, dropping the still-sparking leg. _I need to remember to buy Zafira and Arf drinks for the ground-fighting lessons._ He staggered to his feet, and turned toward the battle that still raged between his friends.

Suddenly he was airborne, thrown across the room when the ground seemed to come alive beneath him.

* * *

Ozpin pushed himself up out of the mud, even as the ground shook under his hands. He could hear the entire campus groaning in complaint, bricks shifting against each other as the buildings were forced to flex in ways never intended. Above it all, the harsh grating moan of metal. Looking behind him, he could see the CCTS tower leaning; what looked like tiny wrinkles forming along its length had to be creases in the metal wider than he was tall.

Another concussion shook the world, a blast so powerful that the wind of its passing threw him a dozen yards. He dug his cane into the ground and struggled back to his knees, just in time to see the largest mountain in the distant range explode. "No, no. It can't- it can't be."

He could see chunks of rock arcing through the sky in all directions; all sizes, from clouds of hot dust to flaming boulders larger than houses. The clouds had been pushed back by the force of the blast, letting the light from the setting sun pour down over the devastation.

It rose up higher than the mountains around it, dominating the horizon. Hate filled eyes glowed red hot with fury, sharpened fangs the size of buildings lining a maw that looked like it could swallow Vale. Molten lava drooled from its slavering jaws, running in rivers down the black, serpentine trunk of its body.

The beast roared, silent only because of distance. Even from miles away, he could see the sound compressing the air around it. When it finally hit, it was the sound of death come calling, felt more than heard.

Remnants of the shattered mountain started raining down, punishing the campus around him. A boulder larger than a bullhead crashed into the middle of the CCTS tower, finishing what the earthquake started; with a last wail of steel, the tower fell.

Ozpin didn't even watch it go. His eyes were frozen on the massive creature, a beast he'd only seen in nightmares. The end of everything he'd worked toward, manifested in form. The name echoed in his thoughts, in a voice he only remembered from dreams long past.

 _Jormungand._


	41. Chapter 36

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 36 - Fist of the Heavens

Hands gripped Ozpin under his arms, pulling him roughly to his feet. A gust of chill froze the ash and smoke in the air, carpeting the ground in a coating of grey snow.

"Oz!"

In the distance, the Jormungand bellowed pure fury, shaking the world. The sound dug into his heart with black claws of fea-

"Ozpin!" An ice-cold hand slapped him across the face, forcing him out of his stupor. Summer was standing in front of him, looking up at him. Raven let her grip on him go. "Not the time to be spacing out, Headmaster!"

He gave his head a single shake, trying to clear it. "Y-yes. Yes, I-" Ozpin took a deep breath. "I apologize, Ms. Rose. The storm?"

"Gone. That monster blew the clouds apart, there's nothing left to bother with." Summer cast a glance over her shoulder at the titanic Grimm. "I don't think I can do anything to that thing. What do we do?"

Before he could answer, his scroll buzzed madly for attention. He looked at the screen, then held it to his ear. "Harlaown."

" _Headmaster."_ Chrono sounded harried and stressed- understandably so-, and Ozpin could hear the screams of Nevermores and the buzzing of Dust weapons. " _Need some intel ASAP. Ironwood's never seen anything like this before, and I can't raise the Arthra. TSAB comms went down when the earthquake hit."_

"It is a mythical Grimm called the Jormungand, the End of All. It has not been seen for… longer than living memory, and is only mentioned in the most ancient of fables."

" _Well it's pretty damned obvious that it's as real as it gets, Headmaster! Ironwood's forming up the fleet, but I have a feeling that's not going to be enough. How do we stop it?"_

"You don't. Delay it as long as possible, hold its attention. The kingdom must be evacuated." Even as Ozpin said it, he knew how… flimsy it sounded. Vale was home to _millions_ of people. Even if it wasn't surrounded by Grimm, it would take days, even weeks.

Chrono wasn't subtle about voicing his own thoughts. " _Right, one more impossible task. Can you give me anything tactically significant?"_

Ozpin was silent for a long moment, watching as the first fusilade of Atlesian broadsides detonated like tiny fireworks on the Jormungand's flank. He searched his memories desperately for an answer, but all he could remember was futile death at the beast's whims. "...I am sorry, Captain. The only possibility that comes to mind is- is giving Salem what she wants, and-"

" _Don't worry, Headmaster. We'll give that thing as much of the Wolkenritter as it can handle."_

* * *

"Blue Two reports fire on target! The target is- unaffected, Captain!"

James' eyes were locked on the tactical display, even as Captain Argent directed Blue One to take Three's flank. "Blue Three," James ordered, "hang back and help hold the wall. One and Two have the-"

The deck slewed to the side as the cruiser's emergency thrusters fired. Heat and light poured through the viewports, making him shield his eyes. On the display, Blue Three lit up with warnings. "Blue Two, report!"

The response signal was weak and full of static. " _-eavy damage, hull breaches o-"_ The comm crackled in James' ear, erasing much of the transmission. " _-peat, hull breaches on all decks!"_

Through the viewport, James could see the cruiser struggling to stay aloft. Lava streamed sluggishly off its bow, melting gaping wounds in the ship's structure. "Blue Two, fall back! Repeat, fall back!"

The stricken vessel turned sluggishly, caught in a losing battle with gravity as it fought for distance. Four contrails of light followed the damaged cruiser down, blasts of magic forcing the circling Grimm away. James spared a quick thanks that the ship was able to retreat.

On a tactical level, though, it meant he was down to two ships, all from a single retaliatory strike from the giant creature. The vomited blast of lava had only caught Blue Two a glancing blow, but even that had been enough to mission-kill a third of his force. _We can't get into a slugging match with that thing._

Captain Argent had come to the same realization, and had ordered Blue One to pull back and get some distance. "Back off and hold fire until we have a better target!"

" _Harlaown to Ironwood."_ Chrono was barely audible over the sounds of warfare around him. " _Keep your ships back, General! We'll keep Jormungand busy."_

"With all due respect, Captain, even your people can't take hits from that monster."

" _Believe me I know. But we're a lot more mobile than your capital ships. Let us do what we do best, and have your cruisers help hold the walls!"_ In the distance, pulses of blue light lit up the sky, sharp and distinct. " _I'm signalling Beta to stay on escort duty with your cruisers. Alpha has point."_

* * *

The flamethrower blast of fire impacted against her shield, pouring off to the sides and heating the bronze metal enough to scorch her arm. Pyrrha pushed through the pain, charging forward and thrusting _Milo_ at Cinder's chest, skipping off the woman's Aura but forcing her to ward the weapon away.

Behind her, Reinforce threw out another spell, sealing yet another hole in the building with magical ice. The entire fight, Cinder had been in retreat, struggling to disengage from the moment JNPR had caught her flat-footed. She'd exploited option after option with ruthless efficiency, her sole focus on _escape._ A doorway here, blasting through a wall there, once even burning through the floor to drop down to a lower level, yet every effort was stymied by Reinforce's chill magics. Pyrrha had chased her mercilessly, knowing that if she let up the pressure even for a moment, all their effort would be for naught.

She hadn't even had a chance to check her scroll, but she knew her Aura was fading from the length of the fight, and beneath its protection she was suffering as well. Pyrrha struggled to breathe; her lungs burned from the smoke, her eyes were watering and stinging. Still, she could tell that the drawn-out battle was wearing on the Maiden as well; Cinder was panting for breath as she called forth flame and obsidian both. Sweat and grime matted the Maiden's black hair, matched by her soot-streaked face.

Another wall fell, brick shattering explosively, and Cinder retreated through the gap. Every move was calculated even in her rush for freedom- more space to maneuver, or open air for a quick escape. Pyrrha surged after her, rifle rounds from _Milo_ keeping the Maiden on the defensive. She could barely hear Jaune calling after her, voice nearly lost in the roar of the inferno around them. She could feel his Aura behind her as she leapt through the gap.

The room they'd blasted into was huge; it looked like the main floor of a nightclub, industrial scaffolds hanging from the ceiling, dripping with strobes and spotlights. Cinder was already boring a hole through the ceiling with her fire, and Reinforce countered with a blizzard of ice. Hanging on tight to her gorget, even the little Unison Device was flagging, her spells starting to come weaker and more erratically. The sudden coldsnap gave Pyrrha the second she needed to close, though, forcing Cinder to rely on glass and agility to fend off her Pyrrha's renewed assault.

"You can't run forever, Cinder! Stand down!" Her voice was hoarse from the smoke, but she still was able to make herself heard.

"You don't have forever to chase me, Nikos!" Until now, Cinder had remained cool and collected, but now Pyrrha could hear incredulousness at her tenacity. Incredulousness and _anger._ "Are you so intent on sacrificing yourself?!"

Steel screeched against glass as _Milo_ crashed against black scimitars, hard enough to crack one. "You won't win! You're alone, and we stand together against you!"

Cinder's scimitars detonated in her hands, the blast throwing Pyrrha through the air. Pyrrha flipped as she tumbled, touching down on her feet and skidding back across the smoking dance floor. Reinforce came to a hover near her shoulder, hands flickering with restrained magic.

A heartbeat passed. Cinder shook her head, face tight and expression… disheartened? Almost _sad._ "You say that like it's your _strength,_ like you're a champion of humanity bolstered by the masses, by the love of your friends." Cinder raised her hand, spears of flaming obsidian forming around her.

Pyrrha raised her shield, and she felt Reinforce gathering magic to defend her. Cinder continued, and there wasn't a trace of mockery in her voice. "But that's not a strength, champion. Love? That's your weakness." She swept her hand to the side, and Pyrrha's eyes widened.

The spears weren't meant for her. They launched at an angle, a wide arc of explosions tearing apart the ceiling and walls, and the shaken structure started to collapse. Below the falling debris, she saw white and yellow.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha threw herself in the way.

* * *

Adam had been quick to regain his footing after the earth quaked, but the student huntsmen had been fast as well, too fast for him to capitalize on the distraction.

He'd tried; Adam hadn't even gotten both feet under him yet when he pushed off and brought _Wilt_ across in a wicked slash at the blonde. His blade had bitten hard into her hastily raised gauntlet, and he felt his Semblance pouring into the cut only for him to be blasted away by a shotgun burst of red petals. He'd tumbled across the floor, lurching to his feet, and witnessed the effect of his first real blow of the entire fight.

The blonde's gauntlet had disintegrated away, but underneath her bare arm was pristine. _Damn it!_ A hair deeper and her arm would have wasted away instead of just her weapon.

The students arrayed themselves against him again, and Blake was calling out warnings, _coaching_ them through dealing with him. His fighting style, his semblance, all spread out with scalpel-sharp precision. _Traitor!_ The blonde was hanging back, anger warring with shock on her face as she realized just how close she'd come to being maimed, but the others weren't giving him the chance to take advantage of it. Blake kept him busy with off-angle strikes and shadowed evasion while backed by the Heiress' glyphs, and the crimson girl was using her own ability to hamper his retaliations. His vision was shrouded in red, and he couldn't for the life of him tell if it was his own growing rage or her scarlet sigils.

It was _maddening._ Every parried attack poured more power into his semblance, itching, _begging_ to be unleashed, but every opening to strike back was either a phantom feint or was gone as quickly as it appeared due to the cloaked girl's _damnable_ red glyphs.

Adam found himself with his back against the warehouse's brick wall, _Wilt_ and _Blush_ both committed to defense, hemmed in from all sides by blades and bullets and barriers and his left leg bound to the brick by glowing red. His Semblance strained with stored power, making his arms shake and tremble in the effort to keep it contained, useless because he _couldn't land a damned hit._

He couldn't win this fight. Adam knew too well that if defeat was inevitable, it was better to avoid playing the game.

Adam snarled, reversing _Wilt_ in his hand, and he plunged it into the wall behind him.

His Semblance discharged into the wall, dumping every bit of its destructive power into the very building itself.

 _Wither._

* * *

"Visuals established, Captain! Main screen!"

The hurricane over Vale had been blown back, giving them their first clear look at the battle since it had started. The tide of Grimm around the kingdom was visible from orbit, like someone had bordered the city with a black marker. Miles to the east, a mountain that had dominated the landscape was gone, and the _hole_ where it had been glowed with lava boiling to the surface.

Sliding from that hole was a massive black-and-bone creature; a mile of its length was creeping toward the city and yet more of it was still hidden underground where it had burst free, and each ponderous crawling motion dragged up yet more molten rock from below.

Gil stared for a long moment, shaking his head. _No. No, it's… it can't be. It's not, it's not._ "Magnification on the primary threat."

The view zoomed in, showing the gigantic beast in detail. Graham narrowed his eyes, studying its form; comparing the thick black scales and white bone to what he had spent years of his life researching.

His thoughts were interrupted by a priority communication through his device. He shook his head again, letting the call link to his mind. ' _Graham.'_

' _Graham. I need you to tell me what that thing is.'_ He could hear the urgency in Grumman's mental voice.

' _I don't know, Captain Grumman. I-'_

' _I need more than that! We're releasing safety locks now, but I do not want to fire on that target without positive confirmati-'_

' _Hold your fire, Captain! I said I don't know what it is, but that's not the Defense Program! It's something else, something indigenous. It has to be a Grimm of some sort, that's the only explanation!'_

There was a long pause, and Gil didn't even dare take a breath. ' _Listen to reason, dammit! I spent a decade of my life on the Book of Darkness, I know how the Defense Program manifests!'_

' _...yes. You do. We'll hold for now, but if the city falls I will have to order fire on the_ Arthra's _position. I will not allow a TSAB cruiser to fall into the hands of an unknown hostile force.'_

Gil closed his eyes. Grumman was right, he knew. Millions of lives in exchange for keeping their technology out of malevolent hands; it was for reasons like this that the _Lady Midday_ even existed. ' _I understand. Only if there's-'_

' _If there are no other options.'_ The mental link severed.

Gil let out his held breath, turning back to his crew. "We're unarmed, but there's got to be something we can do to help. I'm open for suggestions."

"If I may, Captain?" Uno stood from her console. "We do have one tactically viable option. My employer is aware of the urgency of the situation, and wishes for me to remind you that the _Warding Gesture's_ teleportation system remains operational. He has fabricated an armament package to be used along with it- the package should be arriving in the teleport bay now."

A notification pinged his device, and Gil opened a holowindow to view the report. "...ten kilogram metal slugs?"

"Indeed. If we use the earlier teleportation algorithms to transport them, the planetary interference field will condense the excess energy involved into the solidified mana deposits that were causing us so many problems. As we now know from our correspondence with the surface, these deposits are highly volatile."

 _Bombs._ "Do it. Get me target coordinates, best targets of opportunity in the swarm. Let's help them thin out the horde so our people on the ground can worry about the big one."

Uno's holo-console reformed around her, her hands moving at a blur. "Already calculating. I suggest coordinates fifty meters above the ground. Impact velocity should suffice as a detonation trigger."

Gil nodded, thankful to be able to do _something._ Still, there was another thing that caught his attention, making him pause. "...where are your companions? Tre and Nove?"

"My employer has seen fit to recall them for other efforts. They are not needed here."

* * *

Something hot and wet dripped onto her face.

' _Fate!'_

With a groan, Fate tried to push herself upright, and agony shot through her arm. She collapsed back to the tilted floor, trying to figure out why it was slanted.

The last thing she remembered was the _Arthra's_ deck dropping out from underneath her, an impact, and the Dust-generator breaking loose from its rough mounting, sliding toward her-

-and a flash of orange light.

"Fate!" That time she _heard_ Arf's voice, filled with worry and pain, and it made her open her eyes. Arf was above her, and when the familiar saw her eyes open her bloodied lips parted in a smile. "You're awake! You're okay!"

"Arf? What- what happened?" An unhappy beeping sound caught her attention; the wrist computer Amy made her wear was reporting that her Duty Jacket had been exhausted.

"Bad things-" Arf cut herself off, turning her head and coughing red. "-keh. Bad things everywhere. You were in trouble so I came. Speaking of, could you… please try to move a few feet to the left? I can't hold this thing forever."

Fate gave her head a shake to clear it, and in the dim red emergency lights she could see that the Dust Generator had crashed into Arf's back. The familiar was holding it with shaking limbs, keeping it from crushing Fate below its bulk. "Y-yeah. Let me just- Ah!" Her right hand flew to her left arm, sharp pain making itself known again.

"Yeah your arm's busted pretty bad and I know it hurts but I need you to move right the hell now."

Fate tried again, letting her arm hang limp while she pushed with her legs, scooting across the tilted deck until she was clear. With a strained cry, Arf shouldered the generator back long enough to slip free, and the heavy object crashed to the plating. Arf sagged down against it, wiping blood from her nose and mouth.

Fate could see the signs well enough; blood welled in patches underneath her bare skin, welling up through her pores in places. "You teleported to me?"

"Well _duh,_ of course I did. You're my master and you were in danger, nothing's going to keep me from your side when that's the case…!" Arf slid down the side of the generator to the floor, coughing. "Not even this stupid planet."

She bit her lip in worry. "Thank you. Just… worry about putting yourself back together, okay?"

"Fine by me!" Arf managed to raise one bruise-mottled arm in a thumbs-up, then let it fall back to the deck.

Fate grabbed the railing nearby with her good hand and pulled herself to her feet, looking around. "Amy? Anyone?"

Sparks and hissing conduits answered her, and she tried again. "Amy!"

A ceiling panel nearby shifted, and underneath there was a pulse of sky-blue. Amy squeezed out from under the piece of wreckage, her Aura flaring as it lent strength to her arms. "Ugh… we _really_ need better crash restraints on cruisers- Fate! You're okay!"

"Debatable. What happened?"

"That big earthquake broke us out of the hangar mounts, I think. The whole ship dropped to the floor." Amy regained her feet, giving her head a shake. There was a constant dim glow of her Aura around her. "Stay put with Arf, I need to start triaging the crew! Yuuno's on his way!"

With that, Amy was gone, running off to help others out from underneath fallen debris, putting the strength provided by her Aura to use.

Fate eased down next to Arf, letting her fingers trail through her familiar's blood-and-sweat-slicked hair. "...I guess we're sitting the rest of this one out."

"Nanoha's right," Arf groaned. "This planet sucks."

* * *

They'd been able to spare a few moments to meet up in the air, as even the airborne Grimm had been shaken by the sheer fury of the gigantic Grimm's emergence. Nanoha kept an eye on the airspace around them, swatting down any of the airborne Grimm that dared get close. In the distance, the Jormungand crawled closer, crushing the ground beneath it.

Chrono counted off his available forces; Nanoha, Hayate, and the _Wolkenritter._ Yuuno was trying to get to the _Arthra_ after hearing Amy's call for medical assistance, and Lindy was with Mage Team Beta supporting Ironwood's remaining airships. The twins were- he didn't know where Lotte and Aria were, but he assumed they were helping on the walls. _I wouldn't want to risk them against that monster anyways, they're out of practice._ "I'm open to suggestions, people. That thing's huge, even by our standards."

"Well if Salem wasn't lying to us, we know it's here for the us specifically! If we take the fight to it, hopefully it'll stop coming closer to the city!" How Hayate managed to sound _cheerful_ in all this, Chrono didn't understand.

"A valiant stand," was all Signum had to say. The other _Wolkenritter_ nodded. "We will hold it off, or die trying."

"That's not what I meant, dammit!" All the cheer was suddenly gone from Hayate's voice. "That's not what I meant at all! You're not… you don't get to sacrifice yourselves like this!"

"And I'm sure that's not what they meant either." Chrono cut in before Signum could open her mouth again, killing the argument before it could even start. _Because that_ is _what she means. A last stand before an insurmountable foe? It's a magnet to Belkan Knights of their caliber._ "Hit and run, stay mobile, _keep it busy_ while we hammer it with everything we have. Takamachi, can you manage a Starlight Breaker?"

"No, sir. _Raising Heart_ can't keep the spell containment together in Remnant's field. Believe me I've been trying." Nanoha snapped up her device, and cored a gryphon with a low-power Divine Buster.

"Then we just keep hitting it until it gets the picture. Nothing else we can do." Chrono tried to remember if there was anything else; the battle had been so hectic he'd been sure he was forgetting something- "Secondary objective?"

"No contact, sir."

"Keep your ears open. _Raising Heart._ Confirm voiceprint; blue, left, underscore, endgame."

" _Authorization confirmed for Chrono Harlaown!"_

"Release limiter; Blaster System tier one."

" _Blaster System cleared for tier one!"_

Chrono fixed Nanoha with his eyes, holding her gaze. "Do not be stupid, Captain. We need you for this entire thing, not just for one big shot."

"Yes, sir." Her eyes lit up with anticipation, but Chrono was glad to see it tempered by at least a little bit of caution. _Raising Heart's_ Blaster System was not something to play around with. "Wide Area Search!" A half-dozen pink balls of light appeared around her and scattered, arrowing down toward the city below.

The Jormungand roared again, and Chrono could feel the heat of its hate-filled gaze. "All right, this is it. _Wolkenritter,_ up front. Hayate, fire support. Nanoha and I will keep the small ones off you."

Nothing else needed to be said.

* * *

Fighting with only one arm _sucked._

Cardin ducked under the beowolf's claws, and brought his mace around to smash heavily into the Grimm's side. Burn Dust in the weapon's head ignited, and the explosion reduced the beast to a painted smear of black and red on the bulkhead. He jumped back, and the soldiers behind him poured rifle fire through the gap in the cruiser's hull.

He'd still been in the infirmary when the cruiser had landed hard, just outside the city's eastern wall. Grimm had immediately swarmed the downed vessel, tearing gashes in the armor and fighting their way inside. The medical team had hurried to help him back into his armor, and he'd grabbed his mace and rushed to assist in repelling the boarders.

Cardin wasn't anywhere near top condition, he knew that. But he was still leaps and bounds more capable than most of the grunts onboard, given that the ship's specialists were all deployed groundside. Most of his time was spent hurrying through the red-lit passageways, running from breach to breach wherever he was needed most.

It was a losing battle, that was all but certain. Eventually the Grimm would gain a real foothold, and it would only be a matter of time before they were slaughtered.

As if to drive the point home, an impact shook the crashed ship, and shouts of panic echoed off the metal bulkheads. Cardin shouldered a damaged door open, finding himself in the cruiser's launch bay; the bay doors had been torn asunder by a Goliath's tusks, where beowolves and ursa surged through the gap.

Cardin threw himself in front, managing to scatter the beasts with a detonation from his mace's head, but he wasn't able to catch his balance fast enough. An ursa's meaty paw caught him on the shoulder, throwing him across the floor. His mace tumbled out of his hand, and before he could grab it the ursa's foot came down on his chest, pinning him to the floor.

The beast roared down at him, flecks of saliva splattering over his face. Cardin balled his fist and punched its ankle, but did little more than irritate it. It raised its claws to swipe his head from his shoulders. He screamed back at it, defiant.

A riproar like tearing canvas drowned out his yell, and the ursa's chest tore apart in a ragged line. It collapsed around him, fading away to black mist, and Cardin found himself searching wildly for the source of the fire.

Familiar forms were pushing into the hangar from outside; students from Beacon, led by the rabbit girl from CFVY. A glowing wireframe replica of a minigun was already fading away, and she offered a hand to him.

Cardin stared at Velvet for a moment, gritting his teeth, then grabbed her hand and let her pull him upright. "...thanks, rabbit. Your timing couldn't have been better."

"Thank me later, really! We've got to get the crew out and pull them back to the walls!"

A fighting retreat, then. Cardin could handle that. He scooped up his mace, nodding. "Better than being holed up in here waiting to die."

They pushed out of the crashed cruiser's hangar en masse, Cardin and the other students forming a spearpoint thrusting into the Grimm tide. Behind them, flashes of light heralded deafening explosions as _something_ fell into the surging mass, again and again, blowing fifty-yard wide holes in the Grimm trying to chase them down.

Cardin had risked one glance over his shoulder to try to find the source of the artillery. He didn't know why the charges of raw Dust were falling out of the sky, but he wasn't one to stick around and argue.

* * *

 _Whaddaya know. I'm alive._

Torchwick pushed himself up off the ground, grabbing his hat and cane from where they were half sunk in the mud. The shockwave from the gigantic Grimm bursting out of the mountain had thrown his bullhead into a death-spin, and in desperation he'd blown the canopy and told Neo to jump clear.

Leaping from a plummeting bullhead? Nothing they hadn't done before.

That didn't explain the scream of terror he'd heard from her, though. And it didn't explain her lack of presence on the ground with him. "Neo?"

Turning, his eyes were greeted by the wreck of the bullhead where it had slammed into the mud, half aflame and crumpled from the impact. White lace caught his eye; her parasol, snagged on what was left of the canopy glass. "Neo!"

He couldn't even remember running toward the downed tiltjet, grabbing at the canopy frame to pull himself up. "Sweetie, can you hear me? Are you in there?"

She was sprawled on the floor of the cargo hold, whimpering in pain and fear. A spoke of jagged bone poked through her left shin, and she kicked and scratched at her shadow-

Torchwick's eyes widened. Neo scrabbled desperately, trying to get away from her _shadow,_ as it started _crawling up her leg._

Neo's mouth opened. Instead of a scream of terror, pitch poured forth.

* * *

 _Error. Knight's Clothing depleted. Mana shell impact registered. Mana shell integrity at 87%. Diverting processor power to self-repair process 0012._

 _Error. Mana shell impact registered. Mana shell integrity at 74%. Diverting processor power to self-repair process 0035._

 _Error. Mana shell impact registered. Mana shell integrity at 52%. Unable to divert processor power to self-repair._

 _Error. Mana shell compromised. Mana Shell integrity at 33%. Motive ability impaired. Rerouting mana-flow through secondary pathway 002-Zwei-17a3._

 _Tactile sensors register pressure compression. Motive ability impaired. Temperature sensors detect heat damage to mana shell. WARNING: Mana shell integrity at 12%._

 _Optical Array offline. Primary Auditory Array offline. Hardware compromised. Unable to repair with available hardware._

 _Processor impaired- Mana flow compromised, unable to support current processor load._

 _Cancel self-repair process 0012. Rerouting mana-flow to secondary pathway 002-Zwei-12a3._

 _Cancel self-repair process 0035. Rerouting mana-flow to secondary pathway 002-Zwei-12a3._

 _WARNING: Overload in mana pathway 002-Zwei-12a3. Pathway disabled._

 _Rerouting mana flow to tertiary pathway 003-Zwei-41b7. Pathway stable._

 _Secondary Auditory Array online. Primary Mana Sensor online._

 _Mana concentration detected- analyzing. Confirmed as ALLY-Pyrrha Nikos._

 _Mana concentration detected- analyzing. Confirmed as ALLY-Jaune Arc._

 _Auditory signature detected- analyzing. Footsteps, distance 8 meters closing._

 _Mana concentration detected- analyzing. ALERT. Confirmed as ENEMY-Cinder Fall. Distance 7 meters closing._

 _Tactile sensor registers primary contact with ALLY-Pyrrha Nikos. Analyzing. Biological shell integrity of ALLY-Pyrrha Nikos at 74% approximate._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 6 meters closing._

 _WARNING. ALLY-Pyrrha Nikos mana signature incompatible with UNISON firmware iteration ZWEI 2.013 at current integrity levels._

 _WARNING. Mana shell integrity at 10%. System shutdown imminent._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 5 meters closing._

 _Confirm system hibernation, Y/N_

 _System hibernation denied._

 _QUERY archive search: UNISON firmware iteration EINS 1.001._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 4 meters closing._

 _File system found. Archive integrity 100%._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 3 meters closing._

 _Compatibility confirmed. Firmware swap initiated._

 _Firmware swap 25% complete._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 2 meters closing._

 _Firmware swap 77% complete._

 _._

 _._

 _Firmware swap 100% complete. Installation complete. Rebooting subsystems._

 _._

 _Reboot complete._

 _ALERT. ENEMY-Cinder Fall distance 1 meter._

 _Self-repair reactivated. Mana flow 001-EINS stable._

 _._

 _._

 _ANFANG._

* * *

Cinder panted for breath, letting the cooling air fill her lungs. The Nikos girl had done exactly as Cinder expected, throwing herself between her partner and the falling debris, the little ice fairy swept up in the action. The collapsing ceiling had buried all three of them under the rubble, the sound of splintering wood and shrieking metal drowning out their cries.

It was almost disappointing, really. _This is what happens to the righteous, Champion. They're bogged down by the weight of their cares, unable to make the hard decisions._ Cinder wiped sweat from her brow, and started walking toward the trapped students.

She would take no joy in this, but it had to be done. Obsidian formed in her hands once more; a heavy, razor-sharp spear, sufficient to punch through the debris. "If you'd just- if you'd just _let me go,_ I wouldn't have had to do that, girl."

Cinder kicked a fallen length of timber out of the way, gripping the spear in both hands. "You were doing your duty, I can respect that. But if I let you live, you'll hunt me to the ends of Remnant, because now it's _personal._ I hurt the one you care about, used your love against you."

She stopped before the pile of debris, letting her magic find the still-glowing spots of life trapped inside. Even now, at the end, trapped by weight and despair, the girl was struggling. Cinder planted a foot on the debris, and raised the spear high. Her teeth set, and she raised the spear high. "Damn you for making me choose, Champion."

" _Einklang."_

The word whispered through the debris, echoing and making it shift and shudder, forcing Cinder to catch her balance. Though quiet, the word had weight, filled with determination and more than that, _power._ Enough power to shake dust from the rafters. Eyes widening, Cinder reset her stance, tightening her hands on her lance. "What did you say?"

The debris exploded in a blast of black energy, throwing Cinder back. The obsidian in her hands shattered as she raised them to protect her face. A hand made of steel flesh brushed her defenses aside and clamped around her throat, lifting her choking into the air in one fluid move. Pyrrha Nikos was before her, righteous determination writ clear on her features, the clear green of her eyes and the red of her hair replaced with glowing crimson and shining copper.

"She said _Unison In."_

* * *

"Keep it up, team! We've got him on the ropes!" It was hard to keep the strain from showing through in her voice, but Ruby pushed through the creeping fatigue that came from pulling so much from her Linker Core. They kept Adam under pressure, leveraging their coordination against his skill, and Ruby was doing her best to keep him from landing any more telling hits. Yang's close call had been all too sobering, and Ruby was making _sure_ he didn't get a chance to do that again.

They had him boxed in against the warehouse's wall, Blake and Weiss' assaults keeping him from even being able to slash free of her bind on his ankle. _Bardiche_ readied another bind, and she held it tight, waiting for the chance to catch his sword arm.

Adam's sword glowed bright with his semblance, and Ruby aborted the bind to throw another shield up between him and Weiss. She blinked in surprise when, instead of lashing out at her teammate, he stabbed the blade into the wall behind him.

" _Sir," Bardiche_ cautioned her. " _Environment integrity compromised."_

Sickly light spiderwebbed through the wall, crawling up the walls and across the ceiling almost too fast to see. Before her eyes, the cracks widened, and the whole building started to groan and shake. "What the-"

Realization struck her. Adam knew he couldn't beat them, so he was bringing the whole warehouse down on them. "Crap! EVERYONE GET CLOSE! Bardiche!"

" _Defenser Plus."_ The pull on her Linker Core felt like a sucker punch to the gut, and a glowing dome of red light sprang up around all of them just before the ceiling came down around them.

The last thing she saw before debris obscured her vision was Adam sheathing his sword and _walking_ out through the hole he'd made.

* * *

"Mistelteinn!"

Seven rays of magic burst out from Hayate's staff, blinding white beams that seethed through the air toward the gigantic serpent beast. The kilometers of distance between her and Jormungand took their toll on the spell, with Remnant's field making the beams waver and corkscrew chaotically, but the majority still impacted cleanly on the massive Grimm's flank.

Jormungand hardly even slowed, the petrified flesh sloughing off with its motions to reveal more scales beneath. Its reaction was immediate, though, and a vomited blast of lava came flying toward her at near-sonic speeds; a deceptive shell of cooling black stone hid the raging temperatures within. Hayate found herself ever thankful for Signum's watchfulness; only by dint of the knight's grip on her collar and a gut-plummeting dive did they avoid the blazing hot blast. "Well that didn't work nearly as well as I'd hoped!"

"Did you honestly expect otherwise? The beast is larger than the _Cradle_ herself." Signum let go the moment Hayate's flight spell was stable, speeding to the side and letting loose a rapid-fire volley of magic-forged arrows to keep the thing's attention on her. Each one hit with the force of an artillery shell, but did little more than scuff the beast's armored hide.

From the opposite side, a mile distant, Chrono launched a hurricane storm of blue blades that peppered the Jormungand's head and trunk, but it was like throwing sand at a charging rhino. Zafira flew interference, pulling harassing gryphons and nevermores from the air with white chains. Far behind them, guarded by Nanoha, Shamal was a beacon of glowing green, a spell prepared and ready.

Distractions all of them, trying to keep the creature's attention. Successful, even, as the pools of cooling lava that dotted the landscape beyond Vale's quake-shaken wall attested.

 _Just a moment longer… come on, Vita!_ Hayate charged another spell, letting the power flare brightly around her. _Look at me, I'm the danger here! So bright and shiny, I'm gonna hit you so hard, you know it's true!_

She could feel the Jormungand's eyes fix on her, and its jaws opened again to spew another blast toward her.

" _GIGANTSCHLAG!"_

Vita had other plans. _Graf Eisen's_ hugely-expanded form rose upward in a crushing smash. Even enlarged by the knight's spell, the hammer looked like a tiny toy, but it hit home with enough force to slam the Grimm's gaping maw shut. Its eyes widened comically, lava drooling from between its clenched teeth.

Then it snarled and struck, moving faster than its mass had any right to, and its slavering mouth snapped shut around the red-garbed warrior.

"VITA!" Hayate felt fear grip her heart. Jormungand had moved so _quickly-_

"I've got her!" Shamal yanked her arm back through her portal, covered in scorch marks and burns, to reveal Vita's smoking but hale form snatched from the jaws of death. Hayate breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that- that didn't work either!" Vita shuddered, trying to shake off the effects of the hasty, unrefined teleport. "Let's not do that again."

Hayate strove for height, shoving her concern into the back of her mind. She still had a spell to cast, and now was as good a time as any. "Resound, Horn of the End!"

Her Belkan triangle flared brighter, outshining the sun. "Ragnarok!" The bombardment spell hit hard, making the beast roar in irritation.

And then another distant mountain face crumbled, releasing a colossal torrent of dust up over the horizon. No one paid it much heed, until numerous Devices beeped with a new contact. A dozen eyes swivelled to the south-southeast, and all widened as one when the dust cloud broke open and an ink black Grimm _dragon_ flew forth. Hayate could hear Chrono's shout of frustration from across the battlefield. "Are you _kidding_ me?!"

* * *

A hand clawed at his face, sparking off his Aura and making him lose his grip on the bullhead's frame. Torchwick tumbled to the ground, scrambling back on all fours. His shredded hat lay forgotten on the ground. All semblance of swagger, cockiness, or refinement had abandoned him.

Neo jumped out after him, crushing what was left of his bowler into the mud beneath her. She straightened in jerky, halting motions, each crunch of bone tearing a new screech of pain from her lips. Her left eye was wide with agony and terror, twitching and rapidly cycling between various colors.

Her right glowed with crimson malevolence, leaking black tears that dripped down her face and neck. The ichor flowed down her body, under her clothing, and her broken leg lurched forward in a stiff-legged motion.

' _When did I ever say that the leash I held was Neo's?'_ Cinder's last words to him echoed through the growing horror in his mind. _Damn her._ Torchwick regained his footing, shaking his head. "Neo, this- We both knew this line of work was an ugly one."

A strangled gasp was her response as her body took another stumbling stride forward. Torchwick stepped back further, bringing _Melodic Cudgel_ slowly up to bear on her. "I'm sorry, but you know how we work, sweetie, and I'd expect the same from you. Call it a mercy kill, call it stark, raving cowardice, I don't care. I'm not seeing any convenient ways to get that thing off of you, and I think we can both agree that the last thing either of us want is for you to kill me, and then be eaten by that thing." He shook his head slowly, trying to ignore the voice yammering in the back of his head, accusing him of wildly drafting justifications on the fly. "Cinder gets the last laugh that way. I think we'd both prefer it if she doesn't- and that means at least one of us walks away today. You're vindictive, I'm... well, much less confrontational on the whole, but in this case I think I can comfortably swear to avenge you like some shitty B-movie anti-hero."

During his rambling, he scanned every inch of her frame for anything resembling a Grimm mask, or face, or an eye that wasn't merged with her own. Big talk aside, he really was trying to find a way to save her, but he was coming up blank. With a click of his tongue, he flicked the safety on his weapon.

The crosshair at the end of his cane flipped up. His aim, to his mild amazement, was steady. He started to backpedal slowly, and watched as more Grimm-stuff flooded into Neo's ruined leg, supporting it, gradually rebuilding or replacing it. She wasn't going to be lurching like a zombie for much longer. "Looks like you're getting a new leg as we speak. That means I won't even be able to escape like a rat. I think we both know what that means. I taught you myself, after all." _Melodic Cudgel_ shifted a bit as he mentally switched from 'cripple shot' to 'kill shot.' That _thing_ would rebuild her bit by bit and catch up to him before he could find anyone or anything to possible help him get it off of her. Dishonesty was out. There were no rules here to break. Nothing to take. _Only one thing left_.

His next words tasted like ash on his tongue. "I lie, I cheat. I steal."

Neo screeched again, but somehow Torchwick knew it wasn't _her_ making the sound. He licked his lips nervously, hand tightening on the trigger. "But above all else, I sur-"

 _Melodic Cudgel_ detonated in his hands. Neo had moved faster than thought, black claws erupting from her fingers to rend through the barrel. Torchwick landed on his back, coat blackened from the fiery explosion of Dust. Neo howled again, and the blasted remnants of her arm reformed, scraps of flesh bound together by black tendrils. She lashed out, and the grimm flesh wrapped around his throat and dragged him back to her.

 _Fuck. I- I don't- I-_ Torchwick gagged, wrapping his hand around the black noose, trying in vain to pry it free. Neo loomed over him, her head forced back to stare sightlessly at the sky, and the black shadow coalesced in her core. Skin and cloth parted with a sickening tearing sound, and a featureless bone mask with a single red eye stared at him from within.

His free hand slid into his coat, finding the switchblade he kept hidden away. _No more games, Roman. She needs to know._ "Neo, I-" His voice was a ragged croak- it hurt to speak. "I promised your old man I'd take care of you, no matter- no matter what happened. I- _aghfuck!"_

A spike of white bone punched out of her gut, spearing through his hand and pinning it to his side. The tendril around his neck tightened. Torchwick's vision went grey around the edges.

The Grimm's eye brightened, feeding off his fear.

" _IS: Ride Impulse."_

A flash of purple, and the tentacle dropped to the ground, severed at Neo's shoulder. A blade of solid light erupted from Neo's chest, punched right through the mask..

Neo stood transfixed, black ichor vanishing into mist. The blade vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and she collapsed backwards into the arms of a blue-clad woman. Another figure hauled Torchwick to his feet; he was too disoriented to struggle.

"Doctor," the taller one said, speaking to the air. "VIPs secured, condition critical. Get us out of here."

The devastated landscape vanished.

* * *

Cinder tore free with the strength of desperation, conjuring a wall of fire between them. It didn't matter for the moment; _Milo_ and _Akouo_ lay broken underneath the rubble, and Pyrrha needed new weapons. Reinforce answered her need as quickly as she thought it, and magic flared black.

" _Sagen,"_ Pyrrha heard herself say, and steel tore free from the debris, bending with a metallic screech. A new blade hovered by her right side, sharp and hiltless and held just as solidly as if her hands were wrapped around it.

" _Horen,"_ she spoke again, and scraps of iron compressed into a wide plate, crude in its simplicity but harder than any shield she'd ever carried. It, too, levitated at her flank, held in place by magic and will alone.

Pyrrha was wounded, she knew. Her Aura had been shattered by the falling debris; she could feel it slowly piecing itself back together, knitting the gashes in her limbs, but new armor and cloth had phased into place around her. _Ritterrustung,_ Reinforce whispered in her thoughts. _Our Knight's Armor._ More metal ripped free of the half-collapsed ceiling, wrapping around her form, protecting her injuries.

Cinder didn't give her any more time. Hot flame erupted toward her, and a nearly automatic gesture brought her shield spinning in the way. The attack poured off the edges of the shield, torching the ground but leaving her untouched. A calm spot in a firestorm.

 _Much like my mind,_ she found herself thinking. It was the strangest feeling; she could still feel the urgency in her actions and thoughts, but at the same time, even as she was calling forth _real magic…_

 _Your levels of combat awareness and acumen are quite impressive, even without my assistance,_ Reinforce said in her mind. _I am also lending you processor space. It is a native aspect of our unison._

Cinder burst through the flames, her scimitars flashing toward Pyrrha's neck. _Sagen_ and _Horen_ interposed faster than her hands could move, sparks and glass splinters flying from the impacts. _I believe we will need it,_ the device continued. Her mind-voice was different, Pyrrha realized, sounding deeper and near-monotone. _She is no longer trying to disengage._

The whirlwind-assault of Cinder's blades continued, more than just the two swords in her hands. Conjured obsidian came at her from every angle, and Pyrrha's wings joined in her defense, protecting her body even when her sword and shield couldn't-

 _I have wings?_

 _A function of my Knight's Armor._

 _Convenient! But we really need to the offensive back-_ possibilities came to her awareness, less a list of options and more an understanding of just what they could do together. The possibilities grew as Reinforce catalogued exactly how Pyrrha's semblance interfaced with her own magic. _-Ah! That will do!_

Pyrrha let _Sagen_ cut at Cinder, a sweeping slash to break her rhythm. " _Stahldolch!"_ She yelled the spell's name, and more metal ripped out of the debris, becoming a storm of daggers whirling around her. Vector lines overlaid her vision- she _knew_ exactly where every single blade was and where it was going.

It was complete awareness of her polarity, a level of control magnitudes greater than she'd ever managed, only possible because of the computational power Reinforce provided. She could _see_ the stacking bands of magnetism sway and bend all around her. Some twisted towards steel and iron, others towards her will.

Fire and glass clashed with rough-shaped iron, too fast for the eye to see. To Pyrrha's consternation and surprise, it was still barely enough to keep pace with Cinder now that the woman was fighting to _win._ Shards of black-shrouded steel lost cohesion in the holocaust blazes the Maiden was conjuring, spinning and falling to splash across the charring tile floor in spatters of molten metal. _Why can't I keep control of the steel! My Polarity-_

 _-is magnetism. Ferromagnetic materials become paramagnetic past the Curie point; that is to say they lose their magnetic properties at high temperatures._ As if to illustrate her point, _Horen_ lost cohesion and fell to the floor in a gout of glowing steel. _Obviously, Cinder Fall's maiden powers can create said temperatures. It is fortunate that we are in a location with a plethora of raw materials._ Pyrrha was quick to bring forth a replacement, cannibalizing a section of the nightclub's bar and bringing it spinning to her defense.

 _Can't you cool everything back down? I thought ice magic was your speciality!_ Her new shield blocked another blast of flame, the edges already glowing orange.

 _I am devoting the majority of my processing cycles to emulating UNISON firmware iteration EINS 1.001 protocols. As such, my temperature manipulation spells are currently beyond my ability._ An opening; _Sagen_ came down in an overhead slash, forcing Cinder to bring both scimitars up to catch the sword in a cross-parry.

An opportunity that she was quick to capitalize on. Pyrrha slammed her hand forward, fist glowing with dark magic. " _Schwarze Wirkung!"_ Reinforce intoned through her, and the enhanced blow smote Cinder full in the chest.

Cinder stumbled away, her Aura flaring bright as the energies tore at her. _The spell list we currently have access to is smaller, and they are admittedly simpler,_ she continued, _but no less powerful. We will make do._

Pyrrha listened with half of her thoughts as Reinforce described the spells she had prepared. A great deal of them were unusable; Pyrrha had no wish to level a square kilometer of Vale in an apocalyptic detonation! The rest of them…

 _It's going to be very difficult to subdue her without inflicting lethal injury, Rein._

 _I am aware. Just keep fighting. Options are presenting themselves._

More awareness flashed into Pyrrha's mind; not in her vision, but the knowledge of the battle all around them. A topographical map of the conflict extended outwards, from Vale to the mountains and thick with telemetry. Every active device for miles around was a brilliant beacon, vectors and positions included. Markers of blues and searing pink caught her split attention, and a range-of-efficacy ring expanded at Pyrrha's subconscious desire.

 _You're right. Options are presenting themselves!_

* * *

"How is this thing so fast? It's almost as big as one of Ironwood's cruisers!"

The Grimm dragon had blasted through their formation, scattering them to the sides as it flew toward Vale proper. Nanoha and Chrono had been forced to peel off and give chase. She'd managed to tag it with a few fast-cast Divine Busters, but it had shrugged off the low-power blasts, and was proving infuriatingly adept at avoiding the ones she took the time to charge.

Worse than that, it was shedding blops of Grimm matter as it flew over Vale, which formed into scores of smaller Grimm; not too dangerous on their own, but their manifestation behind the battle lines was turning them an all-too-effective force multiplier.

To make things worse, _Raising Heart's_ background programs were a constant drain on her Linker Core. It wasn't enough to tire her, but it made her stronger spells take that brief moment longer to charge, and the extra time was detrimental to the high-speed chase.

Chrono was doing his best to clean up the Dragon's messes; _S2U's_ Stinger Blades were usually enough to thin the spawning hordes. But it meant that he was lagging even further behind the dragon than she was.

Another of her Divine Busters landed on target, scoring a line in the scales along the dragon's flank. Suddenly it was wheeling, coming around toward her with jaw open wide. Nanoha broke and dove, and the wind of the Grimm's passing nearly sent her out of control. "This isn't working, Chrono!"

"Tell me something new! We're the only assets left to handle it!"

Trails of sky-blue swept up from the city streets to join them. "That's a big beastie," Lotte remarked. "Not as big as the other one, though."

Chrono pulled up beside them, and Nanoha could see his mind racing behind his eyes. "This- I have an idea. Keep it busy, see if you can piss it off enough to stick around. Making a call!"

* * *

They'd 'launched' dozens of the impromptu teleport bombs; every single one that Uno's benefactor had been able to prepare. _It still helped,_ Gil told himself. _They were able to evacuate that downed cruiser, at least._

The giant serpent-Grimm was still crawling toward the city, having covered nearly half the distance. Tiny lines of white light kept impacting against it; Hayate's efforts were visible from orbit to their optic arrays. Sometimes it twisted, reacting to other unseen attackers which he could only assume were the _Wolkenritter._ But it never faltered; nothing they had on the ground could do more than mar its scaled hide and bone.

The defenders were out of options, and the _Warding Gesture_ didn't have any left to offer. Save one.

Gil closed his eyes, committing himself. "Pilot. Lock course on the big one, prep engines for fast reentry. Sound abandon ship."

 _Abandon ship_ meant using the teleporter to evacuate everyone to the nearest relay; Uno had provided a coordinate lock as a 'just-in-case' measure.

"Aye, Captain. Engines to reentry mode, failsafes removed. Navigation- negative, sir. She can't maintain lock through the interference field."

 _This damned planet._ "Understood. I have the helm." Gil took a moment to look around the bridge, meeting the eyes of every person there. "It's been a pleasure, everyone."

A clamor rose when everyone realized what he was intending. Objections were raised, twenty voices in unison-

Cut off in a white flash as the teleport system engaged, clearing the bridge. Uno alone stared back at him, yellow eyes unreadable, but she gave him a slow nod of acknowledgement. "It has indeed, Gil Graham. I am glad to have had the chance to meet you in person."

"Give your employer my thanks, Miss Uno. Tell my girls I love them dearly, and tell Chrono to take good care of them. They're still young, and they deserve more of a chance at life."

The woman inclined her head, and in a flash she was gone as well.

Gil took a seat at the helm, running his hands over the controls and switching to manual. The _Warding Gesture_ rumbled beneath him, and Remnant grew larger on the screen.

* * *

"Damn you!" Cinder poured her anger into her strikes, shattering glass and steel both each time her blades slammed into Nikos' defenses. The girl's reserves of _magic_ had become bottomless, black power flaring from her each time she committed new metals to her control.

They were both worn and weary; the demands Cinder was placing on the Maiden's power were beginning to tear at her body and Aura both. Her mouth tasted of copper, and even her own skin was raw and singed.

Damnably, infuriatingly so, the student champion was _holding back._ Three times now she could have gutted Cinder with her blades, withered her with the fury of her diabolical spells. But Nikos clearly wanted to _win,_ to take her alive.

It gave Cinder the slightest edge, really. She could commit fully to her attacks, leave lethal openings that Nikos refused to capitalize on.

She hated it.

Another fiery explosion separated them, their feet leaving trails of broken tile. Nikos had turtled behind her metal wings, sacrificing two of the six to the fury of Cinder's flames only to reform them from more of the fragments whirling about her. "You can't win, Cinder! Surrender!"

"Kill me and be done with it, _Champion!"_ Cinder threw the shattered remnants of her scimitars aside, holding her arms out wide; taunting her. "You can't take me alive! The only path is death, yours or mine! Kill me and lose yourself, or die for your misbegotten beliefs!"

"You're wrong!" Pyrrha spat the words back at her, pushing sweat-slicked copper strands away from her eyes. "There's always a way, and I'll prove it to you!" Her steel wings flared wide and she charged forward again, and Cinder threw more obsidian in the way.

* * *

"Just for the record, Chrono, your idea _sucks!"_ _Raising Heart_ disgorged another Accel Shooter volley, peppering the dragon's face and neck with irritating stings. It roared its anger, and Nanoha barely avoided its sweeping claws.

"Nikos' plan isn't much better- Just keep at it, Takamachi! Fifteen seconds!"

It was one of the most furious dogfights Nanoha had ever been in; it felt like playing chicken with a TSAB assault corvette, except a corvette wasn't nearly as maneuverable as the dragon was. Nanoha closed at a tight angle, and teeth snapped shut just behind her winged heels.

The dragon's scaled bulk flashed by close enough for her to reach out and touch. She did, slamming a magic-shrouded fist into its belly just to piss it off a little bit more. Then she was past it, striving for distance.

There; tight lines lit up in her HUD, a hundred yards further. She surged past the convergence point in an instant, spinning around and setting her stance. "Raising Heart!"

" _Yes, my master! Full charge!"_ Her device pulled at her Linker Core, a torrent of magic that made her fingers burn. The dragon closed with frightening speed; she wouldn't get the spell off in time.

* * *

 _Our mana reserves are reaching problematic levels,_ Reinforce warned her _. I will not be able to maintain this level of output for much longer._

 _How's that Plan B coming along?_ Pyrrha warded off another furnace-blast of fire with one of her wings, letting it melt and pour away to the side, while simultaneously running through Reinforce's spell list again.

 _I am in contact; providing guidance now. Dedicating further system resources means I will no longer be able to replenish our defenses._

 _Wait, what's this one at the bottom? Null-Zauberfeld?_

 _Ah- A secret. I am… not supposed to have access to it. Even Meister Hayate does not know._

 _I can keep a secret!_ Pyrrha jumped over another blast of fire, then magnetically pulled herself out of the way of a volley of obsidian arrows. _Will it work?_

 _It is an effect of last resort. Using it would exhaust our Linker Cores within five seconds, hence its use is low on my priority list._

Another volley flew at her, before she could react. The arrows detonated against her Knight's Armor, punishing her back across the scarred floor. _I didn't ask what it was, I asked if it will work!_

 _Soon. We will need to keep her still. Our action window is approaching. Timing will be critical._

 _I'm good with timing_. _Maybe I can stall her. She can't help but talk, after all!_ Pyrrha put her palm flat on the back of _Horen;_ it was much less power intensive to maintain it with skin contact. "We can both survive this, Cinder! Stand down and you'll be given a fair trial!"

The maiden sneered at her, taking the brief lull as a chance to reform her blades again. "A farce, you mean, just like everything else you believe in!" Detonations punished Pyrrha's shield, and she was forced to abandon it and dive to the side, her wings sparking off the floor. "You're weakening!"

She pushed back to her feet, searing her hands on the scorched floor; too slow. Cinder's blades came down on her back, breaking against her wings but shattering two of them with the strength of the impact. Pyrrha let the last three scatter in bursts of shrapnel as she rolled back to her feet.

 _Sagen_ was unsteady next to her, so she gripped the magic-forged blade tightly in her hands. _Reinforce? Now would be a very good time!_

Something caught her eye, and she glanced up and to the side. Despite her murderous focus, the Maiden paused, following Pyrrha's gaze askance.

A small ball of pink light hovered amongst the shattered ceiling joists. Cinder narrowed her eyes, "What is _that?"_

Pyrrha couldn't help the grin that spread her lips. "It's called Wide Area-"

* * *

" _-Search successful, coordinates are specific! Distance two point five kilometers; I can be shot!"_

Nanoha wheeled _Raising Heart_ around, almost a full one eighty degrees toward the city center, ignoring the dragon's yawning jaw or how its teeth cast shadows on her head and shoulders. She brought the golden head to bear..

The dragon roared in triumph, head snapping forward-

Sky-blue chains, dozens of them, wrapped around the dragon's wings and body. The darker blue of Chrono's magic ringed its neck, and the giant Grimm's momentum came to a bone-crunching halt.

In the distance, the bow guns of General Ironwood's two remaining cruisers opened fire. Explosions bloomed across the dragon's motionless flank, again and again, blasting craters deeper and deeper into its hide. With a final shriek of rage and pain, the dragon blew apart into black mist.

Nanoha let the spell finish charging. "Partner?"

" _Clearance confirmation. Firing lock is cancelled!"_

"Blaster One! Divine-"

Brass spit out of _Raising Heart's_ breech as Nanoha emptied the device's magazine.

"-BUSTER!"

* * *

Cinder's eyes widened. She could feel the torrent of power raging through the sky toward her, unstoppable. She gathered her power at her feet, every bit she had left to spare so that she could flee-

Nikos yelled out, her voice still in that damnable dual-harmonic. " _Anti-magilink field!"_

And Cinder's fire vanished, taking her breath with it. The Maiden's power went from a raging inferno to a guttering candle in her belly, struggling to stay lit.

The student girl's scrap-metal sword tore her blades from her slackened grip, and suddenly the girl was on her. Arms wrapped around her, dragging her to the ground and holding her there.

Panic tore the scream from Cinder's lips. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She beat her fists against the girl's shoulders and back, frantic. "You'll kill us both! Admit your defeat! Let me live!"

It wasn't enough; she couldn't break the girl's iron grip. Nikos _laughed,_ her voice ringing with contentment. "I told you; there's _always_ a way."

Raging, blinding power engulfed them both, and the pain was nothing she'd ever-

* * *

Nanoha sucked in air, while steam and coolant gushed from _Raising Heart's_ release vents. " _Bombardment complete, my master! Thirty seven percent of output remained on target! We have a new distance record!"_

She couldn't help but giggle. "Good job, partner!"

Streaks of blue caught up to her. "No patting ourselves on the back yet," Chrono admonished. "The Jormungand is still closing. We only have a few minutes before it reaches the walls."

Lotte and Aria were watching the miles-long beast with wide eyes.

Nanoha grimaced, and slammed a new magazine into _Raising Heart's_ receiver. "Think we've got a few more of those left in us?"

" _We can try, my master!"_

They pulled into formation, Chrono at the lead, but almost immediately he slowed to a stop, squinting up at the sky. "Wait. What is- S2U, magnify!"

Nanoha followed his gaze. A trail of fire was plummeting out of the sky far overhead, leaving a contrail of smoke behind it. _Raising Heart_ zoomed in helpfully, and she could make out the blocky lines of- "That's the _Warding Gesture!"_

"MASTER!" Two voices cried out in unison, magic circles flaring out beneath Lotte and Aria. Nanoha could feel the teleport building, warping space at the familiars' feet.

"Shit! Nanoha, stop Lotte!" Chrono swung _S2U_ around, lines of light wrapping around Aria's body. "Struggle Bind!"

"Restrict Lock!" Pink bands flared around Lotte's limbs, interrupting her. The twins railed against their restraints, screaming and begging to be let free, tears streaming from their eyes.

Nanoha threw her arms around Lotte, pulling her down and away. Lotte kicked and fought, straining the bindings.

Chrono did the same. "He wouldn't want this, Aria! He'd want you to live on, you _know_ that!"

"He's our _Master!"_ The long-haired twin bawled, struggling against him.

They could only watch as the _Warding Gesture_ continued its death dive. The Jormungand paused, tilting its head to stare up at this new threat.

* * *

Team RWBY slipped and skidded down the sloping walls of the ever-widening trench the blast had torn through the ground. In the center, they could see figures; Pyrrha, Reinforce, and Cinder's unconscious forms being tended by the rest of JNPR. Nora had just dropped Mercury next to them, looking like she wanted to kick him in the side for good measure.

Ruby ran into the lead as soon as she had solid footing. "Everyone! Are you all okay? I'm sorry we're late, we had to dig ourselves out of a building!"

Jaune looked up at her shout, relief showing on his face. "Ruby! I think they're fine, but I really don't want Cinder waking up on us! Can you do anything?"

"Yeah, I think so!" Ruby skidded to a stop. "Bardiche!"

" _Yes Sir. Sealing Mode."_ The device's axe-head levered out, rotating to point forward along the shaft. " _Sealing Lock."_

The spell took a moment to charge, the pull on her Linker Core making Ruby grimace. Then lines of red light wrapped around Cinder before fading into her skin. "I… think that'll do it?"

" _Target sealed. Recommend reinforcing seal within twenty four standard hours."_ _Bardiche_ hissed coolant from its vents, then reverted to standard form.

They all shared a sigh of relief, and then Weiss and Blake bent down to help check over Pyrrha and Reinforce. Ruby bit her lip, then looked to Jaune. "You, uh, want to call it in? Your team found her." She grinned.

Jaune nodded, pulling out his scroll and dialing. "Headmaster! Cinder Fall is down, mission successful! We're all oka-"

 _Bardiche_ interrupted him, blaring a grating siren that shook Ruby's teeth. " _Alert. Localized Distortion detected."_

* * *

 _S2U_ and _Raising Heart_ raised alarms at the same time. " _Localized Distortion detected. Signature confirmed: FIST OF THE HEAVENS."_

 _Fist of the Heavens? S2U_ overlaid a targeting reticle on top of his vision and he couldn't help but smirk at the hellish worm. _Someone's about to have a bad d-_ His device _then_ overlaid an estimated Area-of-Effect graphic.

The _world_ was washed in red.

Chrono felt his face drain of color. "Oh gods no."

Nanoha threw him a questioning glance, one arm still hooked around Lotte's waist. "What? I don't recognize that codephr-"

Chrono spun and shouted, _S2U_ amplifying his voice as loudly as it could. "EVERYONE PULL BACK! PULL BACK NOW!" He secured his hold on Aria and flew back toward the city, as fast as he could manage.

In the distance, the _Wolkenritter_ were already in full retreat; Signum had her arms around Hayate. He could see the contrails of Team Beta as they flew as fast as their magic could carry them.

Nanoha kept pace with him, shaking her head. "Chrono, what's going on? I've-"

"They're fucking firing on us, Nanoha!"

" _WHO?!"_

"I DON'T KNOW! Just _FLY!"_

Behind them, the Jormungand reared a mile into the air and more, jaws opening wide. It met the _Warding Gesture_ head on, and with one snap of its teeth the stricken corvette vanished.

A star flared overhead. The sky turned white.

* * *

Salem _blinked._ Her connection with the Jormungand was gone, so sudden that for a brief instant, its absence left a hole in her thoughts.

The Black Queen of the Grimm shook off the disorientation and rose to her feet, cutting off Yasmine's query with a slash of her hand. She strode across the atrium floor, heels clicking sharply on the black marble, and Yasmine followed in her wake.

Salem threw open the balcony doors.

There was a line of white light tracing through the afternoon sky, disappearing beyond the horizon. The beam stretched up and up, already fading into wisps of purple lightning; molecules of air blasted apart into their constituent particles.

At the very tip of the fading ray, there was a point of light. Salem squinted her red eyes, focusing, and it resolved into a flattened spade. Sharp, angular edges, a lethal form shrouded behind a blue field that shrugged off the heat of a perfectly controlled and _powered_ reentry.

For the first time in a thousand years, Salem found herself speechless.

"Huh."


	42. Prelude III

Author's Note: As is becoming something of a theme, this Prelude was written by my partner in crime, Golden Lark. All credit goes to him for it, he's _still_ working on HI a lot with me.

Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Prelude - City of Woe

Damcina stood once more in front of the ledge she had been napping on so many weeks ago. With her was her rag-tag group of companions, who had come together in an unlikely alliance to stop the burning of a thousand worlds. Herself, the Grimm Brothers, the current climate overseer Osvaldo, and a few of the engineered civil servants that had awakened enough to choose to help. They had desperately struggled, then climbed the Capital Tower's staircase from the ground to the stratosphere to enact their plan.

Now, they all stood silently in equal parts horror and wonder as the moon itself shattered, and a thousand thousand chunks of rock blasted out in all directions, foretelling a year of constant falling stars (or worse) to come.

The Grimm brothers' Creature reared up and seemed to form a pseudopod grasping at the heavens for the moon. Said pseudopod quivered, and began to angle downwards ever so slowly. Within a few moments, Osvaldo broke the silence.

"I have a lock; the node is completely free of the lunar debris and is entering the atmosphere at a steep angle."

Damcina bit her lip and tried not to glance at the Creature. Over the last few weeks, it had saved her life any number of times, but always at the beck and call of Wilhelm and his control box. She had learned a handful of relevant facts: it was a mana projection, much like any Familiar. It was nonsentient and nonsapient, dynamically forming the necessary limbs, shapes, and processing power required to fulfill its orders. It had a very wide variety of complex forms and body parts it could simulate, and seemed to exponentially grow in ability during its tasks; after which Wilhelm would unfailing 'reset' it back into an amorphous blob.

On asking, he had told her "Can't let it get too far ahead of itself, now. I need the rest of it under direct supervision before I can even begin to trust one piece unsupervised."

That had led into the conversation about what, exactly, the Creature of Grimm was.

It was a single 'drop' of a self-replicating mana suspension composite developed on the lunar base above their world. Specifically, the control node of the system was forged in the core of the moon, under very specific conditions that allowed a small replication of the planet's unique properties on a totally secure yet otherwise uninhabited body. The Creature's ilk couldn't survive on the moon outside the lab, and if any of it somehow escaped outside it would promptly evaporate. The Creature itself was merely a proof of concept sample that had been transported to the planet proper as as trial run before the development of a strain that could stay manifested outside of the planet's unique mana field.

The Grimm Brothers were human-base familiars themselves, and had been owned by the man responsible for developing the composite. It was a project intended for extreme hostile environment work, allowing an adaptable series of disposable bodies to do labor that would otherwise be a waste of life. At some point in the last several months, bits and pieces of Belkan propaganda had trickled into the hands of the Grimm Brothers via the moon's less robust network filters, and said propaganda introduced a particular idea: that of weaponizing anything and everything in reach in a bid for "freedom."

Damcina wasn't quite sure what their endgame was, but they had most definitely been targeting facilities capable of fast-cloning living bodies on the day she had met them. She had kept quiet about her purpose for being at that location and merely admitted that she was previously owned by one of the researchers there. They had taken that story in stride and allowed her to join them. They had a camp a little ways off where they had gathered various survivors, all of which had been abandoned uplifted familiars.

Damcina had decided not to ask why there were no human-base familiars there, and chose to not correct their assumption that she wasn't one. That decision had been wise, given one evening when she had caught the Creature oozing off into the ruins. She had climbed a building to get a better view, and watched it run down and absorb a couple chimeric human-base familiars that had been heading for one of the bio facilities much as Damcina had. When the Creature returned, it was a bit bigger, and from that point forward her worries would grow to match it.

A few nights of drinking over the campfire revealed that when Jake and Wilhelm had been cut off from their Master's mana supply, they immediately seized control of the Creature and killed him. They had then moved to destroy infrastructure in accordance with the pamphlets they had printed from the "Belkan Revolution." Damcina couldn't really sympathize with their plight, given that she had no real dissatisfaction with her previous lot in life herself, but she guessed that some familiars had experienced less fulfillment than others.

Their general distrust of the arch-mages and the establishment as a whole led them to tap into various channels reserved for the upper tier of society. It didn't take long for them to find and decrypt messages discussing the real situation off-world: that numerous hub worlds had fallen to 'Belkans' and that hope for re-integration with greater Al-Hazred was all but lost. The current plan in progress was for the master mana-relay to be inverted, drawing unrefined mana from the world rather than beaming processed mana in from the now-defunct Gates. A pulse would be warp-fired at the closest fallen hub world, hopefully preventing Belkans from back-tracing to any of the connected planets, their own especially. Obviously the Grimm Brothers were not fans of this plan; Damcina couldn't honestly say she was, either.

The local Arch-mages were terrified, angry, and resentful of the 'Belkan vermin.' The missives and conversations grew more and more extreme, and then culminated in a newer, more comprehensive plan: the repeated firing of pulses to every known fallen hub world, and then Belka itself. In their words, they wished to 'sterilize' all possible avenues of the infestation. They knew that after firing that many pulses the grand relay tower (AKA, the Capital tower on which the group currently stood) would be all but burned out itself, so the elite of the world decided to all move into a series of secure bunkers scattered under the planet's surface to wait out the chaos of the coming months.

It was the arch-mages' hope that a slowly re-assembled Al-Hazredian network could eventually reconnect to the hundreds of worlds cut off in that manner. They disregarded the few dozen of those worlds that were completely incapable of sustaining humans without constant imports and decided that this operation would be Best for All. In their words, "Even if the Belkans could and did reach them before they starved, it's not like they'd be capable of saving them. The damage is already done, after all. We're just cauterizing the wound."

It was this information that drove the group to work towards stopping them. The Grimm Brothers had a plan: to rip the core of the Creature's composite system out from the moon, bring it down to the surface of the planet, and then send a small army of automatons out to dig up and destroy the conduits leading to the relay. After all, no more mana was coming from outside, so completely ruining the base functionality relay itself wouldn't make things any worse. They had had a couple months before the flow reversal alterations were due to be complete, and had feverishly gathered allies and spread the word that the mad mages in control of the remaining infrastructure were going to burn them all for being 'Belkan Sympathizers.'

Factually inaccurate, but it did the job as far as a recruitment pitch went. It's not like the arch-mages were even trying to communicate with the greater population of their own world that they had abandoned, after all.

So, their plucky band of 'heroes' did the impossible and had ripped the Creature's control system and primary body mass from the core of the moon, utterly ruining said moon and giving the planet a ring and a few years of meteorite strikes in the process.

They watched as a super-bright falling star fell far to the north. A few minutes later, and Wilhelm confirmed that the control signals were coming through loud and clear. Now all they had to do was get to that spot on the planet before anyone else with the correct knowledge realized what was going on.

This was where Osvaldo was to come in. He'd be able to ensure a speedy, completely uneventful voyage over water to whatever corner of the globe they had to reach; with extremely strong wind at their backs and smooth waters ahead, they could forgo much of the usual crew needed for sailing ancient, pre-magic vessels. Technically, they lacked even those; a powerless hull with the Creature spread out on some braces acting as a giant sail was a good as they could do on such little notice.

Regardless, they had a week of descending the Capital Tower's stairs before they could start sailing in earnest. Even control of the wind didn't give Osvaldo the confidence to pack sufficient breathable air and heat around the whole group for a controlled direct descent from these heights. The message traffic between the bunkers spiked, and the arch-mages debated furiously over what had caused the moon to rip itself apart. Paranoia, accusations, and a general breakdown in civility followed.

By the time they reached the surface and were pushing their boat into the water, communication between the bunkers had all but ceased.

When the first plasma arcs soared across the sky on ballistic trajectories, the amature sailors couldn't see land in any direction. Thus, they were spared the fate of becoming collateral damage. As Jake Grimm was quick to mention, the concept of 'weaponizing everything' was in no way unique to the Belkans. What followed was a subdued discussion on what normally harmless magitech had been twisted into the world-searing blasts of energy flaring up over every horizon. Unfortunately, they came up with far too many viable candidates.

A mere four days of sailing had seen them across an entire ocean; between Osvaldo shielding them from the headwind and spray, and the reduced gravity glyph from of the former servitors, they all but flew across the water.

During the final hour on the water, one of the smaller, darker clouds in the sky directly ahead of them began to grow. By the time they sighted land, they also saw the plume that attached the cloud to the ground. One or more of the plasma strikes apparently hit on this landmass, and had caused a fire that still burned after a couple days.

When Damcina asked if the falling core could have done it, WIlhelm and Osvaldo both denied it. "It would have made a crater and wiped out an area around it, sure, but there wouldn't be enough burnable matter and oxygen left to cause a firestorm. Besides, Osvaldo already arranged for a rainstorm to pass over right after it landed," Wilhelm clarified, "Plus for there to be so much smoke, the source would have had to superheat the area without actually displacing everything down to the bedrock. We made a mess, but we didn't unleash Hell."

Damcina pretended not to hear Jake mutter "Yet, anyways," under his breath.

* * *

A few more days of marching later and the party crested a rise to finally see the source of the smoke. What seemed to be the stone remains of a city lay before them, with every non-stone surface either smoldering, actively glowing, or black with soot and ash. Beyond the ruined city was the landing area of the control core.

Osvaldo closed his eyes for a moment and flared with power. When he opened them again, his expression fell severely.

"We screwed up. All of the settlements around the crater were blasted. Apparently someone caught on to our plan and decided to vaporize as much of the nearby infrastructure as they could."

Wilhelm looked devastated, his grip on the control box going white-knuckled. The team was silent for a moment longer, before Jake spoke up.

"Well, at least we didn't actually need any of the infrastructure here. Let's move."

Damcina and Osvaldo exchanged a concerned glance at Jake's cold comment, but moved forward regardless.

After another hour of picking their way across hot ruins, they finally made it to the edge of the crater itself just before sunset. Peering down and across the relatively huge depression, they saw hundreds of survivors clustered together, and a dozen tiny fires. In the distance, lines of people holding lanterns and/or carrying loads of food and supplies marched down into the crater from other parts of the edge. Some figures at the bottom, near what had to be the control core, spotted them and simply waved; they too far away to be heard. Wilhelm clicked his tongue and sighed with relief. He slid on a set of goggles and seemed to be analyzing the distant survivors.

Damcina was glad that at least one of the two brothers seemed to hold value for innocent lives. Unfortunately, as she found out the next morning, 'value' could be a very flexible term.

* * *

They had camped up on the lip of the crater, deciding that it would be best to rest before the final, potentially treacherous descent. Plus, a good night of sleep would do wonders for their diplomacy skills . . . and to be fair, their poker faces. Everyone agreed that it would be best if the survivors didn't learn who dropped the core near them, which inspired the attack from the heavens shortly afterward. On that note, they set up a minimalist camp and went to sleep.

Damcina got out of her sleeping bag and emerged from her tent, squinting at the light. It didn't take her long to spot the Creature, looming as it did.

It did, however, take her a moment (and a few bleary eye-rubs) to register that the blob was not in fact right nearby as she had initially surmised, but rather far off instead, and exponentially bigger.

Heart skipping a beat, she dared to slip over to the edge of the crater. Sure enough, every last trace of living beings down in the crater was gone. Horrified, she spun around, wondering if she was next- and nearly jumped out of her skin as Wilhelm dropped his optic camo spell, standing directly in front of her. He put up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Relax, Damcina. You don't have a mana core, so digesting you would cost us more than we'd gain. You're an asset to our team, anyways."

Wilhelm's assurance didn't even slightly calm her down, but she at least tried to play the part. "Oh? What about everyone down there without cores?"

Wilhelm shrugged, "An acceptable loss. It's not like they'd have been too friendly after we consumed all of their human-base friends, and while it's a cost, it's not that much of one."

The unspoken message was clear. _You will survive until the moment it's too much trouble to let you live._ "Well, I can't imagine everyone in our group would take it as well as I have," _And by as well as I have I mean not shrieking in horror as loudly as I should be at this moment._

Wilhelm barked out a laugh. "You'd be right. Jake's taking care of-"

There was a loud zapping sound from one of the tents.

"- it right now." He turned to head back to the camp, but paused. "Oh, and just to make it clear; I have the Creature set to go berserk if I don't put in a command every few hours. No one else can control the box, and by the time you would figure it out, it would already be too late. If you want to survive the coming days, make sure I don't have any accidents." He then continued walking away.

 _Right then,_ Damncina thought _, It's time to show my hand._ She opened a telepathy channel to Osvaldo, thankful that the local relays were still functional enough to do so on the surface, despite the bombardment.

 _Os, can you hear me? It's Damcina._

She was immediately rebuffed with a cacophony of two voices, one of which was unfamiliar.

 ** _AAAH THERE'S A SECOND VOICE NOW I AM LOSING MY MIND! -_** _I assure you, this is not the case, if you would just listen to -_ _ **THE WORLD IS ENDING AND I HAVE GONE CRAZY!**_ _\- Please calm down, I need to -_ _ **AAAAAAHHHH!**_ \- _Damcina! I was killed! I cannot help you right now in the slightest, you are on your own, until I can get to you! -_ _ **OH MY GOD THE VOICE IS A GHOOOOOOOST!**_ _\- Which will apparently take me a while! I'm sorry!_

The connection snapped shut, leaving her stunned. Apparently Osvaldo had kept a card hidden up his own sleeve as well, albeit a less immediately useful one.

Jake walked out from behind Osvaldo's tent, brushing off his hands as he met his brother. "It's done. Like you said, it was like his core just leapt up and flew away; he might have been able to seize control if we absorbed him." He noticed you, then. "Oh? So the little lady kept her head?"

Wilhelm shrugged. "Surprisingly well. Then again, animal-bases are animal-bases."

"Heh, you got that right. Okay then, with Osvaldo out of the way that means the only proper cores left are you, me . . . and Schnee?"

Wilhelm shook his head. "No, Schnee's core was heavily reengineered for this world; he's not a risk. It's safe to start now; there are no other mage cores for dozens of kilometers." He turned and beckoned Damcina over. "We're getting the show on the road, let's go."

* * *

A subdued walk later, the remaining members of the group were taking in the sight of the Creature's control core from directly in front of it. At least ten stories high, it was cubic in shape, and seemed to have not taken any visible damage from re-entry or impact. A good portion of it was wedged into the ground, and after a few minutes of scanning, Wilhelm pointed at one of the exposed sides.

"We got lucky, the access panel is visible. I was afraid we'd have to dig the thing up and turn it, which might have taken too much time. Thankfully the entire inside is stasis-shielded, so it wouldn't have even felt the heat or crash."

Time.

Damcina hadn't really considered her remaining lifespan too much in the past days. Hea's predictions pegged her for fading away within a few weeks, assuming she didn't waste mana. When they made the trip back up the tower, she was sure they'd all die, but Wilhelm had configured the Creature to do _something_ to spread a dense mana field around them as they had ascended the tower and done their business in the Capital for the last time. While up there, just at the edge of vision, there had been a constant sprinkle of black flakes that would form in midair, then drift to the ground and vanish. It had only stopped once they were back down in the planet's influence.

Come to think of it, the Creature had lost some size by the end of that leg of the adventure. _Good to have remembered that. Anything that will help me fight it will come in handy._ While she had been thinking to herself, the Creature had assisted Wilhelm in getting up onto one of the upper sides of the cube.

"Arright, everybody up after me, this thing is gonna take off and straighten out so I can properly direct it."

The Creature plucked them up one by one and set them up by Wilhelm, then oozed up to join them. With a rumble, the entire structure began to rise slowly, and the surface they all were awkwardly standing up reoriented itself as the 'top' of the cube, instead of one of the corners.

Wilhelm had connected a few wires from his hand-controller to the panel he was kneeling by, and a series of holo-projection screens flickered into being all around him. They displayed the cube-core from multiple angles.

The Creature had assumed an almost-spherical shape, which was impressive considering its density relative to its current size. A small white circle emerged from the black ichor, and slowly grew in size.

Damcina blinked. "Is . . . the Creature shrinking?"

Wilhelm glanced over his shoulder. "Oh. Well, not shrinking so much as compacting and converting, but pretty much, yeah. Normally it only has the one little control node inside of it, but I am having it convert most of its mass to control-processing composite. This is the closest it's ever been to going out of control; the white stuff is more or less it's ability to think. I have to keep it completely paralyzed via direct command here, or it might start having ideas and getting creative in interpreting orders. The tricky part will be next."

As he said that, the video screens all showed a torrent of black ichor pour out of the bottom of the cube into the crater below.

"There we go. When we first started, the Creature was only one ten-thousandth of its total mass. The rest was still in the cube. Our part had a separate mini control node and responded to this slave controller I've been carrying around." He waved said controller for a moment for emphasis. "The majority of the body only responds to the cube here. The cube only allows admin access to our former Master. However, the ichor itself is dumb. This crater is wide and flat enough for us to be able to easily find the control node for the greater mass.

"Once we destroy that and toss in the Creature, I'll have the same control over the whole mass that I do over our little piece. After that I'll just need to copy and reverse engineer the various command codes to the Cube, and get it to relay the command from my controller to its broadcasting array. It might take me a few years, but eventually I'll get the same fine tuning ability Master had."

The whole time he had been messing with the open access panel, his back to Damcina.

Jake took that moment to step in. "In the meantime, though, we have an interim plan. Once the thing here is done convertin', we can-"

Wilhelm cut him off. "Jake, no need to explain it."

Jake pouted. "Aww, what's the harm? I wanna feel smart too, and the other human-bases are all dead!"

Wilhelm sighed. "Very well, continue."

Jake turned back to Damcina with a grin and pointed at the Creature. "So anyways, once this thing is ready to take over the big goop downstairs, I'm gonna step right in and merge with the white stuff, since I got a real brain and all."

Damcina didn't know what expression she should make. Wilhelm groaned with annoyance and cut in again. "What he means is, we can have an operational mana core with an organic mind attached write itself onto the control node. You animal-base familiars would lose your sense of self the moment you merged, so don't even think of trying anything funny. A quick death would likely be more pleasant. Regardless, instead of thinking for itself one day, it will start thinking for Jake immediately. I am aware of the . . . compromise, but this way is safer."

Jake laughed. "Yeah, it's a great compromise! Wilhelm gets to call the shots, I get to smash stuff endlessly!"

Wilhelm shook his head. "Speaking of which, I need to ready some high priority orders to keep it busy while I gain full control of the cube. Let's see . . . our honored archmages are all hidden and huddled in their techno bunkers, collectively shitting themselves with fear and impotently raging against enemies real and imagined. Jealous of each other and resentful of the Belkans . . . surrounded by what is likely some of the most advanced technology on the remnants of this planet.

"Right then. Prioritizing targets: collected concentrations of negative emotions, followed by technology, in order from most to least advanced. Since the cube can poll the entire globe via the relays, this should release a dynamic swarm of servitors to find the biggest can of nerves, pry it open, slaughter the paranoid assholes within, wreck the surroundings nicely, then move on to the next one.

"After a few weeks of that they'd start going after general population centers and wrecking all the infrastructure they saw, but by then I'll have them stop and come back. Setting timer for . . ." he glanced at the transforming Creature, "about two hours." He snapped his fingers. "Done. A quick and dirty hack, but good enough for now. Jake, you about ready?"

"You betcha. I already memorized the list. I go wreck a bunch of stuff you want wrecked, you record it, and then you send the video everywhere to, uh, persuade the remaining survivors to obey all nice and orderly like."

Damcina's eyebrows, already above quota for the week, rose yet again. _Well, there goes the last possible shred of altruism I thought these two might have had. And I seem to be running out of time to act._

None of their fellow companions seemed to react much to the information; Damcina suspected that even with matrix stabilizers, their cognitive power was already severely eroded from the extended time severed from their contractors. In fact, the brothers' madness might be explained by that very phenomenon, if they did in fact get 'cut loose' before Damcina was.

It was obvious to her that spreading such footage would just get them incinerated. _Someone_ would dig up another device that could be turned into a weapon and liquify them. The Creature was powerful, sure, and a big one would be tough - but that was nothing compared to the forces your average Al-Hazredi world could bring to bear as a afterthought. Never mind actual weaponry.

"Okay, let it roll over you here in five, four . . . "

 _Right then, time to end this farce_. With a flick of her hand, Damcina projected a silent kinetic relay spell and sent Jake shooting off the far edge of the cube. Normally that spell was for quick handling of kitchen utensils (and associated party tricks), but when overcharged it had all sorts of niche uses.

The larger Grimm brother couldn't even get off an indignant howl before he was out of sight. As Wilhelm's countdown finished, the Creature began rolling in the direction Jake had flown.

 _Shit_.

When the Creature failed to stop rolling once it reached the point Jake had been standing, Wilhelm looked up from the control box. Their eyes met.

Damcina gestured and yanked the control box out of his hands. It flew towards her swiftly.

"NO!" Wilhelm reached out and a bind spell snapped into place around Damcina. She lost control of the telekinesis and the control box crashed into her, sending her sprawling. It then tumbled to the ground.

Wilhelm dashed for it, but before he could reach it Damcina muttered a counterspell and sat up, free of the bind. She used the same spell again, flinging Wilhelm away, but not off the edge. She picked up the control box while muttering a bind spell of her own. Glowing chains manifested around Wilhelm, and he cursed while struggling.

Confident that he was secured, Damcina examined the control box. It looked relatively simple. She moved once of the joysticks and the Creature ceased rolling towards the edge. She started rolling it back over to them and circled around between it and Wilhelm.

"So, Wilhelm, it looks like your claim about the complexity of this box was a bluff. I wonder if the rest of what you said was as well?"

Wilhelm started laughing. Damcina glared at him. "While I appreciate the reversal of our fortunes, even I don't think it's _that_ funny. You really are degenerating, aren't you?"

Wilhelm stopped laughing long enough to look her in the eyes while grinning. "Distopia."

The box exploded.

* * *

Damcina came to, hearing nothing but ringing. She staggered to her feet, aware of the critical damage to her projection body. Wilhelm's own corpse lay a short distance away. Apparently his body wasn't nearly robust as her own had been. Hea really did do good work.

Her clothes were a total loss, the box was gone, and she had no way to interface with the access panel in the core. Regardless,she limped over to it. She pulled the lock of her hair out from dimensional pocket storage, set it inside the panel, and closed it. She sensed the stasis field snap back into being, and nodded.

It took what felt like an eternity, but she had finally made it to the edge she had flung Jake from. Down below was the white mass of the Creature, a single dot in an ocean of black. There was no sign of Jake Grimm's body.

Damcina could feel her thoughts beginning to waver. She took one last look out at the world, and saw hundreds of tiny black figures emerging from the ichor and climbing up over the edge of the crater into the world.

It had already begun. The only option left was to try to mitigate the damage.

"It looks like we won't be reunited after all, Master."

She stepped forward, and let herself fall.


	43. Chapter 37

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 37 - Decrescendo

"Visuals clear, sir. The target has gone silent."

A small cheer echoed through the bridge. Captain Fokker stared at the display telemetry, narrowing his eyes. The gigantic snake-creature's head and a good portion of its trunk had been vaporized, and the baleful orange glow of lava could be seen rising through the hole the blast had punched through the planet's crust. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction. "My compliments to the gunnery crew. Keep the secondaries hot; if the lava flow starts to threaten the population, carve a trench to the sea."

Fokker ran a tight ship, and knew that he could leave that task to his gunnery officers. He turned to the next issue at hand. They were descending into the atmosphere at a fair speed, all things considered. "Status?"

"Wards are at full. We're registering that interference effect that the _Warding Gesture_ warned us about," The navigation officer paused while ran his hands over the console, bringing up a few readouts, "but it's nothing the _Ifrit_ can't handle, sir. I'd compare it to a very angry mage throwing destabilizing spells at us, and you know how that always turns out."

"Understood. Lieutenant Commander Mazda, deploy mage teams at five kilometers altitude."

"Sir." The _Ifrit's_ operations commander saluted and left the bridge at a run.

Everything was moving according to standard procedures. Fokker was confident that, for the moment, he could let the tactical concerns ride. Bringing up another holowindow, he linked to the ship's medbay. "Doctor. Status on our guest?"

"Critical condition, sir. We're doing everything we can, Captain, but it's not looking good."

* * *

"Peter, what's your situation?"

There were several seconds before the reply came through. With the CCTS network down, scrolls were only able to transmit a short distance, necessitating individual scrolls to act as signal repeaters between two callers. The constant signal bouncing took time. " _The Grimm are in full retreat, Headmaster! I've never even heard of the likes of this before, it's monumental!"_

Summer caught Ozpin's eye when the headmaster glanced back at her. She perked an eyebrow. "You're certain of this?" The headmaster asked.

" _I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it myself!"_

"That is quite a relief to hear. What of the Jormungand, can you confirm its demise?"

" _Fading away like the rest of the Grimm do when killed, though a beast of that magnitude may well take days to fully dissolve. But it is most certainly dead, I can assure you of that! One single shot from that space ship coming down, that's all it took! And their flying mages are pouring out of the ship, dozens of them!"_ Professor Port was shouting into his scroll in his excitement, loudly enough that Summer winced even from her perch a dozen feet away.

Summer shared a look with Raven, even while the headmaster adjusted the holographic display projected above his scroll. From her place by the headmaster's side, Raven offered a small shrug. It made sense to her, really. As gigantic as the Jormungand had been, a great length of its body remained even after its head and foremost length had been vaporized by the monumental blast. As far as they had been able to tell, it hadn't even finished crawling out of the hole it made in the mountain range, ten miles behind.

She let out a huff, kicking her feet against the fallen chunk of masonry she was sitting on. Immediately following the flash of light that had slain the Jormungand, her Storm had whipped into a frenzy, throwing out hundreds of sharp-edged petals in an instant. She'd been forced to step away from Ozpin and Raven both to keep from hurting them, and she'd been stuck that way for long minutes now.

She saw Ozpin disconnect the call, bringing up a new window. "Bartholomew. Are you in a safe enough situation to disengage?"

" _Now is as good a time as any, Headmaster! What can I do for you?"_

"I need you to call down a bullhead and retrieve Teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as their targets. Their leaders' scrolls are linked into the emergency broadcast network, so you can contact them directly. Proceed with haste and caution, Professor." Ozpin cast another glance over his shoulder at Summer, and she gave him a nod of thanks in return.

A scant instant later, Ozpin was making yet another call. "James."

" _Oz. I'm in communications with the TSAB's_ Ifrit. _Captain Fokker has deployed every mage team he has onboard, and they're teleporting more in from their headquarters."_

"Is that safe? Their magic teleportation is fraught with danger on Remnant."

" _I already asked. He assures me that their ships… wards? Defensive shields? Are more than capable of keeping their systems secure. They have to bring people in and launch them out the airlocks, but they can do it."_

Summer glanced up at the distant vessel; almost on cue, another octet of light trails sped away from its massive hulk, arrowing down to join the dozens of others circling around the disaster-torn city. More points of light sped up from the ground to meet them; she recognized Chrono Harlaown's distinctive blue trail.

Ozpin looked up for a moment as well, nodding to himself. "Make certain they have the _Arthra's_ position. We lost contact with the hangar when the tower fell, and I've heard nothing since." It only took moments before some of the descending trails turned and sped toward the docks district.

Raven picked up a slab of metal from the ground, holding the shed piece of the CCTS tower like a shield against Summer's semblance as she pushed through. Summer did her best to corral the entirety of it into a clockwise spin. "Interesting times, Raven."

"Too interesting for my tastes." Raven huffed. "But we might well get to outlive them."

* * *

It could only be called a mop up operation. The Grimm had completely disengaged, those thousands of thousands that had survived the _Ifrit's_ initial strike. Even bolstered by the backwash of pure power flooding away from the blast zone, the black beasts fled into the trees, hounded at every step by gunfire and the reinforcing mages overhead.

"I don't believe it," one of James' sensor officers said. "It's a _rout._ They're _running."_

"The Grimm don't run, Lieutenant- not away, at least." James was quick to remind him. "Something's up, and until we know what it is, we need to stay vigilant."

James' remaining two cruisers held position over the remains of Vale's wall, their gunships spreading out to provide coverage along the entire length. On the ground below, huntsmen and soldiers alike cheered and screamed, desperation and tenacious stubbornness giving way to the heady rush of actual victory. Overhead, the _Ifrit's_ massive form slowed to a hover above Vale's eastern outskirts.

James forced himself to put his own worries about the looming cruiser in the back of his mind, moving on to more pertinent tasks. His two cruisers were the strongest remaining broadcast centers in the area, and as such routing priority communications and directing the rescue and relief efforts fell to his command.

Soon, bullheads and even a portion of his gunships were landing all along the wall, picking up the wounded and ferrying them to already straining hospitals.

* * *

"That's all, then? We wait?"

"We wait and observe, yes." Salem was still standing at the balcony doors, even after the distant ship had disappeared below the horizon. "Cinder had warned us that new players had entered the game, but this is… without precedent in recent memory."

"You called them Belkans. Mage-killers." Yasmine frowned, tapping her fingers against the table. "You were quite adamant about wiping them from the face of Remnant regardless the cost, just hours ago."

"Correct. But, these… these are not Belkans. They _have_ Belkans, as we have seen, but their methods are not the same. Their magic is too varied, too… _flexible."_ Salem finally shut the doors, turning away. "The Grimm cannot mount an effective assault on the warship that killed the Jormungand." She said it bluntly.

"We've lost, then. It's only a matter of time before-"

"We have not _lost,_ dearest Yasmine. The game has simply changed. So we wait, we observe, and we determine what rules these newcomers play by."

* * *

Ozpin watched with some trepidation as the flight of mages descended toward Beacon's ruined campus. Lindy was with him, leaning on _Durandal_ to keep the weight off her right leg where a Nevermore's feather had breached her barrier jacket. The admiral was back in contact with her subordinates; the TSAB ship overhead was functioning as a repeater for their device communications, in the same way the _Arthra_ had been before the old cruiser had gone silent.

"This is standard procedure, you said?" Ozpin asked again to be certain. _Too much is riding on the next few hours._

"As standard procedure as wartime contact with an unadministered world can be, yes. It happens rather rarely, you understand." Lindy glanced up from her device's holo-windows, quick to clarify. "Not that they would be considering Remnant to be at war, of course. It's rather simple, really; the _Ifrit_ announced her presence quite loudly by firing her main battery at the Jormungand, and there is no mistaking that a weapon of great power was employed. The TSAB will want to reassure the leaders of the nations involved that they are not hostile, as quickly as humanly possible."

"Prudent." Ozpin shook his head slowly, letting out a breath. "And it would be foolish to think that their diplomatic delegation would not be well guarded."

"Again, standard procedure. A full mage team from Headquarters, trained specifically for protective detail. If I had to guess, HQ Team Three."

The flying mages were close enough to pick out some details now. Eight mages, he could pick out by the visual effects of their individual flight spells. Two of them were generating a platform of sorts on which four more individuals stood, and the other six were flying escort.

A few moments later, the flight touched down, dispelling their magics on landing. The four individuals being escorted started walking toward them; an older man and woman, a younger man, and a woman with light-purple hair and glasses, and a small marking on her forehead just like Lindy-

"Leti!"

Lindy staggered forward hastily, jamming _Durandal's_ base into the muddy ground with each step. The woman hurried forward to meet her, throwing her arms around Lindy in a hug. Words flew between them, nothing that Ozpin could understand. Lindy's native language, he could only assume. Still, the sheer _relief_ in both their voices was easy to hear.

While the two spoke, the other three stepped forward. "Headmaster Ozpin, I assume?" The woman asked. Her voice had a lingering accent to it, similar to Lindy's but not as pronounced.

"I am. You are the TSAB's diplomatic envoy, yes?" They inclined their heads, so he continued. "I welcome you to both Beacon Academy and our planet, Remnant. I wish I could offer better amenities, but…"

"The situation was tasking, I understand. I am led to understand that the kingdom city of Vale is managed by a full council, is this true?" The woman raised her eyebrows.

"It is. Overall command of Vale's defense has been delegated to General Ironwood of Atlas in this crisis, but the Vale Council will need to be present for any diplomatic endeavors." Ozpin first raised his cracked mug to the two Atlesian cruisers nearby, then Vale's city-proper and seat of government, past the lake below.

"Completely understandable and expected. We need to speak with all pertinent individuals as soon as possible."

"I will make the necessary calls."

* * *

 _Everything_ was pain _._

That was the first thing that came to Cinder's consciousness as she roused from the black pit of nothing she'd fallen into. Every nerve in her body complained. It was worse than letting Mercury work her over before he and Emerald fled the dormitory building.

It was even worse than the dark-light blast that the woman had shot her with after she gained the rest of the Fall Mantle. The comparison drew a faint groan from her.

"Guys? Guys! She's waking up!"

The sound of shifting weapons cut through the ringing in her ears. No, it wasn't a ringing, it was a roaring sound, like that of a descending tiltjet.

 _No…_

Cinder forced her eyes open. She was on her back, staring up into a smoke-filled afternoon sky. Team RWBY was surrounding her, weapons drawn and levelled. A few yards away, she could see Mercury's form splayed out on the dirt, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren standing over him with hammer and blades in their hands. Jaune Arc had Nikos in a bridal carry, and the tiny doll girl was asleep in the student-champion's lap. The straw-headed boy kept his eyes fixed on Cinder, though, his expression hard.

A bullhead was lowering down toward them, engines howling and spinning the smoke and dust into whirls. Flying escort to the craft on a pink trail of light was the refugee girl, Takamachi.

"How-" The dust made her cough, choking off her words. Team RWBY tensed, but no one moved. Cinder swallowed, then tried again. "How did I- why am I alive?"

She had to know.

It was Takamachi who answered, landing next to her. "I don't need to kill people, Cinder Fall. Not you, and not anyone else. My personal style completely revolves around that fact." The words were at odds with her actions as she racked the slide on her staff, ejecting a brass shell. "Any non-living obstacle between me and my target, however, is completely forfeit."

Cinder twitched her gaze toward Nikos, biting back a weak curse. ' _I told you; there's always a way,'_ she'd claimed in victory. _She knew this would happen._

The golden head of the staff came around to point at her. When Cinder's eyes met Takamachi's again, the young woman continued. "You are under arrest for dimensional crimes under interdimensional law. Your attempts to escape arrest are considered as evidence towards guilt, and will be used against you in a court of law. Anything you have said or done witnessed by TSAB personnel will likewise be entered into evidence. However, extenuating factors in your personal circumstances will be considered as well. Do you understand what I have told you?"

There were few other options, especially when she could hardly move. Cinder swallowed again, nodding. "Yes. Do I-" she coughed, then continued weakly, "get legal representation?"

Nanoha's eyebrow twitched, almost imperceptibly. "You are guaranteed the right to an attorney. As you cannot reasonably be expected to have one familiar with the TSAB and its laws, one will be assigned to you."

Cinder nodded slowly. "Where is this TSAB that will be trying me?"

"Offworld."

"...lovely." That actually made her feel the tiniest bit _better,_ as unbelievable as it was. The price of failure might not catch up to her.

"Good. I am reinforcing the seal that has been placed on your Aura and Maiden Core. We can do this two ways, Cinder. You can submit to sealing and walk under your own power, or you can resist and I will knock you out again and seal you anyways." The staff's golden head shifted, pink flares jetting out from behind it. "It's your choice."

Cinder looked away, staring resolutely at the sky. _She won't hear me beg. I still have that much._

There was a flash. The Maiden's Mantle nestled in her belly, already weak and guttering, went out.

Hands gripped her arms and pulled her to her feet, and she was led to the waiting bullhead.

Cinder felt cold.

* * *

"Sir. Reporting as ordered." Chrono snapped off a salute the moment he stepped onto the _Ifrit's_ bridge, holding at attention while he stood there. The chain of command was clear; as the commanding officer of the only operational TSAB vessel on or near Remnant, tactical control now fell to Captain Fokker. Chrono had a few concerns; Fokker was stiff and uncompromising when it came to interpretations of TSAB activities, which admittedly was an admirable quality for someone in charge of a battle cruiser. Still, he'd worked with the man before, and Fokker was willing to take advice from others more familiar with a given situation. _They could have sent Molot. Small mercies._

It took a few moments for Fokker to return the salute. Understandable, really. He was a busy man. "At ease, Captain Harlaown." What Chrono didn't quite expect was for the man to stride forward and extend his hand. "Damned good to see you, Chrono. We were fearing the worst when we jumped in system. D-sea storms were muddling our communications in flight."

"Your opening shot gave us a bit of a scare, but you couldn't have come at a better time, sir." Chrono hid his grimace; a wave of exhaustion was spreading through him, and the two new tethers to his Linker Core weren't helping at all. He could feel the twins' presence in the back of his head. "I'm sorry, but I need to ask. The _Ifrit's_ main cannon, it fired right after the Jormungand swallowed the _Warding Gesture…"_

"That's what the creature was called, was it?" Fokker shook his head, a grim cast falling over his features. "We managed to lock on and teleport Graham out before we fired, but the old vessel's wards had gone down."

Chrono's gut clenched. "Teleport spells don't work well without a lot of shielding against the planetary field."

"I'll be blunt, Captain. It's not looking good. The medical team is doing the best they can, but there's so much systemic damage… Graham's Linker Core failed, and there's no higher brain activity. My chief medical officer doesn't think he'll last the night."

His eyes squeezed shut. Chrono could feel grief flooding through him; not just from Lotte and Aria, though the wordless despair echoing through the telepathic links felt like it was going to drag him down physically, but his own as well. Graham had been his mentor, had been the man to set him firmly on the path to Enforcer rank. Even after the Book of Darkness incident, the lessons still held true. "I… see. Thank you for your honesty, Captain."

When Chrono opened his eyes, Fokker was watching him closely. "Gil Graham had two familiars, didn't he?"

"Yes sir. Their contracts fell to me when their links with him severed."

"Understood. Given his lack of surviving family, by TSAB regulation you are to be considered his next of kin. We'll keep you informed as soon as anything happens."

"Yes sir." It took an effort of will, but Chrono pushed the grief to the back of his mind. There were other things to worry about. "The _Arthra?"_

"Secure. Medical teams are on site." Fokker's face lightened a little. "No fatalities. She's always been a lucky ship. I hope you understand I need to keep you here for the time being. The situation's stable, but I need you here in an advisory role given your familiarity with the situation."

"Sir." Chrono braced, new energy trickling back as he found himself on more familiar ground, tempered by the knowledge of Remnant and its challenges. "Whatever you need."

"Good. Take a look at the deployment map, and tell me where you think teams would be better suited. We've got ten teams from HQ on hand as well as the _Ifrit's_ three, and I can bring in more if required."

* * *

The first thing he noticed upon waking was that he was lying on a mattress, just firm enough to be uncomfortable. The chemical scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, and his body was suffused with the vague numbness of lingering narcotics. A novel feeling and rarely experienced, given that he generally tried very hard to avoid needing medical help.

"Doctor," he heard a woman say, "the patient is awake."

 _Damn._ "I've had nightmares that started out like this, only I'm usually wearing less clothes." Torchwick opened his eyes, pushing himself up on his elbows. "...and hey, I'm not restrained. Already looking up."

"Ah, Excellent! Excellent! Mr. Torchwick, a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

 _Double damn. There goes anonymity._ "That's twice in a week I've heard something along those lines. If it happens again I'm going to start worrying." A man in a lab coat was approaching his bed; thin features, purple hair, and bright yellow eyes.

"Jail Scaglietti. Doctor, as you undoubtedly heard." The man held out his hand. _His left? Why- oh. That's why._ Torchwick's right hand was swathed in a mitt of bandages. He held out his other hand, and clasped the doctor's in a firm shake. "You'll be pleased to know that you'll recover full dexterity within a few days. Cadaver bone was sufficient to replace what was destroyed, and the soft tissue cloning was a simple procedure."

 _Okay then. I'll file that away with all the other questions I have._ Torchwick glanced around, taking in the surroundings. Raw stone walls surrounded them, lined by banks of computer arrays and medical technology that wouldn't have looked out of place in an Atlas research laboratory. There were two other people nearby; a woman who looked very similar to the doctor himself, and the tall woman who had-

 _Neo._ "Doctor Scaglietti, I honestly hate to cut the pleasantries short, but-"

"But your niece, yes. Oh, don't give me that look. Of course I ran both of your genetics as soon as Tre and Nove brought you in. Rest assured, Mr. Torchwick. She is stable, though I am keeping her sedated for the time being, as her body is unfortunately quite traumatized by the ordeal she was through. Too damaged for a quick fix, at least."

"...okay. Okay, that's… that's good. Better than I could have hoped." Torchwick scratched at the edge of his bandage, furrowing his brow. Something wasn't adding up. "...Doctor, how long was I out, if you had the time to…" He waved his right hand, drawing attention to the treated injury.

"Hmm? Oh... four, five hours?"

Torchwick blinked. "You're bullshitting me."

"Of course not! I do apologize for the delay, I was a little busy when Tre brought you back."

The shorter of the two women raised one hand, getting Scaglietti's attention. "Ah! Speaking of being busy. I apologize again, but I will not be able to attend to your niece quite yet."

Roman's mouth opened, then closed without a word spoken.

There was a flash of light from the corner of the lab. When the glow faded, a nondescript brunette in drab blue medical scrubs stepped off the circular pad that took up the corner. "Doctor."

"Due! Your timing is impeccable, as always. You have the package?"

The woman hefted a container, the size of a small cooler. The digital readout on the front glowed with cool blue symbols. "Secured. None the wiser."

"Excellent! Transfer it to biological sustainment tank seven, please. I'll need to act fast to make sure there's no further neural degradation." The doctor looked _pleased,_ unsettlingly so. Yellow eyes fixed on Torchwick again. "You must excuse me, but a man's work is never done! Tre will show you to your temporary quarters."

* * *

The bullheads were still coming to land at Beacon's ravaged campus. Already shaken by the earthquakes from the Jormungand's motions, the collapse of the CCTS tower had crushed a swath of the academy's structures that had been in its shadow. Thankfully, the non-essential structures caught in its path had already been evacuated, though the returning students were increasingly dismayed at the destruction of the dorms and the loss of their belongings. A veritable forest of survival tents had sprung to life on the unobstructed lawns, and the kitchen staff was already bringing out hot meals.

The too-common instances of out-of-control semblances were winding down as well, as the backwash from the _Ifrit's_ cannon blast precipitated out of the sky in a snow of glittering Dust. Students trained in Hazmat protocols were assisting their instructors and the city's emergency crews in clearing up the worst of it, though it would likely take days, or even weeks of further effort to clean the entirety of the war-torn city.

 _Worries on top of worries,_ Glynda mused as she watched the TSAB's representatives sit at the tables that had been set on the tarmac. Still relatively unscathed, the sheer vastness of the open space allowed for at least some privacy, especially with _Durandal's_ counter-surveillance protocols active. Opposite the TSAB delegation, James Ironwood and Ozpin were seated next to Vale's council members.

With her at the edge of Lindy's sound-proofing barrier, Qrow stood next to his sister and Summer Rose. The Winter Maiden was channelling a bare minimum of her power into the air, keeping the falling Dust from settling down on the meeting. Qrow passed his flask between them, and Glynda's eyebrows rose when both Summer and Raven took small sips without a hint of a grimace. She _knew_ the kind of rotgut that Qrow favored; cheap and strong without a care for taste or quality.

"-would like to thank you all for your timely arrival," one of the councilmen was saying. "Vale extends its heartfelt gratitude, and any amenities still available are yours. It is the least we can offer to our saviors."

"Umber's laying it on _thick,"_ Qrow groused, just loud enough for Glynda to hear.

She rolled her eyes. "Umber always lays it on thick. But I agree, obsequiousness is a little much even for him."

The TSAB diplomats didn't even bat an eye. The senior ranked individual, introduced as Ambassador Pullman. "While your offer is appreciated, we cannot in good conscience accept it given the state of Vale itself. The Time Space Administrative Bureau is here to help, not stretch the resources of which you are already in dire need."

"Your magnanimity is greatly appreciated, Ambassador Pullman. Let us move forward to matters of importance?" _The Bureau is in the position of power here. Difficult to argue when they have a spaceship that can destroy the city._ Glynda knew that the TSAB wasn't in any way threatening to do such a thing, but the specter of the possibility was looming overhead.

She glanced up, shading her eyes. _Literally, in this case._

"Indeed. Vale councilmen, General Ironwood. There are, generally, prerequisites that a given Unadministered World must attain before we reach out diplomatically. It must be noted that due to the startlingly unique case that is Remnant itself, and the situation that brought us to each others' attentions, the TSAB is unable to follow standard First Contact directives."

There was a small pause as Vale's council members glanced over the reports they had been given. Councilor Myrtle pursed her lips, nodding. "The crash landing of your TSAB Cruiser _Arthra_ within Vale's territory, a situation that was _hidden_ from us by none other than Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. Had the White Fang not attacked Vale, followed by such an unprecedented assault by the Creatures of Grimm, it is possible we would never have known." She didn't quite glare at him. "You always keep things close to your chest, Headmaster." _You should have told us,_ her stare accused. "Headmaster Ironwood was involved in the coverup, as well."

Ozpin met her gaze, declining to comment. James ignored her stare when it fell on him, face unreadable. _She's trying to lay blame on the Huntsmen Academies. Good luck, Myrtle._

"A compromised TSAB cruiser is a matter of dimensional security, Councilor Myrtle. The technologies contained within even an older model cruiser are not to be taken lightly." Eyes snapped back toward Pullman, who had set her own datapad down on the table. The TSAB greatly appreciates the Headmasters' discretion in what needs to be said again was an extremely volatile situation."

"The Vale Council wishes to know what your intentions would have been had the Headmasters' attempt at secrecy not been revealed."

Qrow snorted quietly, sipping from his flask again. "I swear, the woman never lets go once she has her teeth in something."

"Hush," Glynda whacked him in the thigh with her crop.

"Ow," the grizzled hunter groused.

"Allow me to elaborate. Normally, the TSAB does not contact planetary civilizations that have failed to achieve either of two criteria; an advanced understanding of technologies sufficient to manipulate dimensional barriers, and a unified planetary government." Pullman raised a hand to forestall objections, continuing. "Remnant is unique, as I have said. Due to ongoing antagonistic conditions, the Creatures of Grimm, it is _understandable_ that Remnant's kingdoms are having difficulty reaching such a level of mutual cooperation. However, despite the interference field around the planet rendering basic research into dimensional technologies difficult, if not impossible, your civilization had reached an admirable level of technological competence. We recognize your advances despite such hardships, and as such the TSAB is willing to make an exception. An unconventional response to your unconventional circumstances.

"That being said; this meeting _cannot_ progress beyond introductions and our declaration of intent. The TSAB will not make decisions until representatives from all of your nations are in attendance."

Qrow barked off a quiet laugh, earning another glare from Glynda. "What?"

"She said _nations,_ not _Kingdoms,"_ he snickered. "Pullman won't deal until _Menagerie's_ part of the talks."

Glynda felt her ever-constant pique toward the brash huntsman drain away for a brief, astounded moment. It took a supreme effort to not laugh as well.

Pullman leaned forward, folding her hands on the table. "There is a _reason_ that we typically do not even engage in first contact with non-unified governments. Our offer of sponsorship is not something that we allow to benefit a planet's people unequally."

Myrtle leaned back, schooling her features into a blank mask. Umber raised a finger, frowning. "I understand what you are saying, Ambassador. However, with the CCTS network down, it will be difficult to contact the other, ah, nations, in a timely manner."

"Which is why we are willing to assist in the restoration of worldwide communications. The _Ifrit_ can substitute for the fallen Vale tower, once interim hardware is installed and the software algorithms are in place. General- or, well, in this case, Councilor Ironwood," Pullman turned to him. "The TSAB requests your assistance in updating the _Ifrit's_ communications systems to expedite this process."

James nodded, even going so far as to letting a smile show. "Atlas is at your service, Ambassador."

* * *

The TSAB cruiser grew larger and larger in her vision as the bullhead and escort group climbed in altitude. Ruby couldn't keep the grin off her face as she _held formation_ with the mage team assigned to the tiltjet, her own red trail standing out brightly amongst the greens and blues of the flight mages around her.

Nanoha had given her a quick brief on her now-official status in the TSAB; a local _contract mage!_ Bardiche had a list of protocols she needed to follow displayed in the corner of her visor, and her current _mission objective_ was to assist in the transfer of Cinder Fall to the _Ifrit's_ holding cells. Nanoha herself was in the bullhead with JNPR and the rest of RWBY, keeping a close eye on the bound criminal.

The _Ifrit_ was amazing to see. The space cruiser was another half as large as the _Arthra_ and had to be at least twice the sheer mass, the flattened spade bristling with contoured turrets. The main guns were built into the hull, much more heavily armored than the _Arthra's_ lance-shaped booms had been. As they closed in toward the underside, a hangar bay yawned open, and the flight curved in to make a landing.

The hangar door closed behind them, and the bullhead settled to the deck. Ruby landed along with the rest of the mages, and took position with them to cover the craft as the cargo hatches swung open.

It went much more smoothly than she was fearing. Cinder Fall left the bullhead on her own feet, flanked by Nora and Yang together, with Nanoha hopping down just behind them. With a dozen weapons trained on her, the black-haired woman had no choice but to go where directed.

The flight leader turned to her. "We'll take it from here."

"Ah-" Before Ruby could stutter further, a message from Bardiche flashed across the visor. She read it quickly. "Y-yes sir! Prisoner transfer complete, and containment of Suspect Fall is, ah, _delegated_ to _Ifrit_ command. Nora, Yang!" She lowered _Bardiche_ and took a step back, snapping her hand up a little too fast to salute, hiding her grimace when her gauntlet smacked her own forehead.

The flight leader returned the salute, and Ruby caught a tiny smile on the man's face as he turned away. A few moments passed, and she glanced around, finally free to take in the surroundings.

The hangar bay was smaller than she expected; a pair of rotor-winged aircraft were aligned against one bulkhead, boxy and utilitarian in design; almost like a cross between Mystralian propeller-airships and Atlesian gunships. The walls were a light grey, brightly illuminated by banks of lights recessed into the ceiling. Various crewmembers of the _Ifrit_ were scattered throughout the bay, and she could see several other obvious combat mages standing guard. "...so, uh. What now?"

"We'll be returning to Beacon in a little bit," Nanoha said, moving to stand next to her. "Before that, though, your teams will need to go through a debriefing with the _Ifrit's_ intelligence officers. It won't take long, don't worry. The main thing they'll want to do is download a copy of _Bardiche's_ mission logs; they'll want _Raising Heart's_ and Reinforce's as well."

RWBY and JNPR gathered around them. Pyrrha was on her feet again, leaning against Jaune with his arm around her waist and still looking a bit worn out, and Reinforce was sitting on Pyrrha's shoulder, yawning. "I hope they don't need me to _talk_ about it," the little device groaned. "Debriefings are _boring."_

"Did you enjoy flying with the flight mages, Ruby?" Weiss moved to stand next to her, even going so far as to give her free hand a quick squeeze.

Ruby's voice shifted into a gleeful squeal. "Yes! I mean, it was a mission and I had to focus on doing everything right, but…"

"I don't suppose we'll get a tour, will we?" Jaune was looking around and taking in the room. His stomach rumbled, and the lanky leader of JNPR ducked his head.

Nanoha giggled. "I imagine we'll be able to visit the galley before we leave, don't worry."

"Great!" His stomach gurgled again. "I mean, uh. That'd be nice, yeah. If it's not too much trouble. We could probably all use a pick-me-up."

"I wonder if they have pancakes!"

"Nora…"

"I want all of them!"

* * *

"Specialist Schnee, Atlesian Military." The woman snapped off a sharp salute.

She'd just stepped off the ramp of an agile, almost delicately designed tiltjet, followed by a small retinue of her rank-and-file. Fokker returned the soldier's salute, taking in her appearance. She was tall, dignified despite the dirt and gashes that marred her heavily embellished, complex uniform, and completely composed. "Captain Fokker, TSAB Navy. Welcome about the _Ifrit,_ Specialist."

"Thank you, sir." She lowered her hand, then held out a datapad. "Software and hardware specifications for the Cross Continental Transmit System. I was instructed to deliver it to you, and the technicians with me are under orders to assist you with any questions your crew have during implementation."

"Excellent." Fokker nodded to the side, and one of his aides retrieved the datapad and hurried off with it. "We'll begin installation immediately. My thanks to General Ironwood for his efforts."

Schnee nodded firmly, and her own staff moved to comply without delay. "It is in everyone's best interests that this matter proceeds as quickly as possible. General Ironwood said as much."

With things underway, Fokker waved her to follow as he turned out of the hangar. "Will you be remaining on hand during the installation? Or do you have other tasks to tend to?"

The white-haired woman shook her head. "I have no immediately pressing matters."

"We have some Remnant personnel on board at the moment," He noted. "Teams RWBY and JNPR." Fokker didn't miss the faint flash of interest in the specialist's eyes. "One of my crew can take you to them, if you'd like. I believe they are visiting the galley."

Specialist Schnee nodded. "I would like that. Thank you."

* * *

' _Sir.'_

"Ack!" Ruby nearly jumped right out of her seat, sending her glass of milk airborne thanks to the surprise jerk of her arm. _Bardiche's_ voice had sounded in the center of her head, not from his storage form pinned to her cloak.

Milk rained down around them, white droplets splattering down over her whole team- _except_ for Weiss and Winter, who had shielded themselves with quick glyphs and were giving her identical disapproving stares.

"What gives, sis? Did you leave the oven on?" At least Yang thought it was funny, judging by her grin.

"Uhm- no, no, uhm. _Bardiche_ just talked to me _in my head."_

Blake raised her eyebrows. "He can do that? I thought that device telepathy didn't work here."

 _Bardiche_ chimed, glowing for a moment, and his reply was audible to everyone. " _The_ Ifrit _is sufficiently shielded from local fields. Systems operating at full efficiency."_

"Well, what did you need? You can talk to everyone, no need to keep secrets!"

The jeweled plate glowed brighter, almost insistently through his normal decorum. " _Sir is currently in the_ Ifrit's _medical ward."_

 _Sir_ specifically meant Fate in this case, Ruby understood. "I see. Do you want me to take you to her?"

" _Affirmative. Current situation is stable."_

Ruby sighed a little, pursing her lips. Using _Bardiche_ had been an amazing experience, but he was, in the end, Fate's partner and not hers. "Okay. As soon as I'm finished eating, all right? I'm sure she'll be happy to have you back, too."

* * *

It took two days to refit the _Ifrit's_ secondary comm arrays to function as a substitute for the Vale tower. In that time, the corpse of the Jormungand continued to slowly evaporate, leaving a black mist hanging in the air for miles around, even to the edges of Vale's eastern wall. Hunter and mage teams both kept constant vigil, making sure nothing new came forth.

In preparation for the sheer volume of comm traffic that the _Ifrit_ would be transmitting and receiving, additional processing equipment had been teleported in from TSAB Headquarters. A respectable percentage of the _Ifrit's_ tertiary storage pocket was now dedicated to CCTS networking.

Three days after the Grimm's all-out assault on Vale and the fall of Beacon Tower, at exactly five minutes before noon, Vale time, the towers of Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo reconnected with Vale, and worldwide communications were restored. The state of the kingdoms became apparent quickly.

While heavily assaulted by the Creatures of Grimm, the other three kingdoms had barely seen a fraction of what had sieged Vale. Waves of Grimm had kept the other kingdoms quite busy with their own defense, but in retrospect the numbers seemed calculated; enough to keep them from sending aid to besieged Vale, but not enough to overwhelm the other kingdoms' defenses. And, like Vale, the Grimm had disengaged and vanished into the wilderness.

With the immediate threat of the Grimm gone, and the beleaguered state of Vale now known, the other kingdoms began sending what aid and relief they could. Vacuo was quick to remember her old ally of the Great War, sending a large convoy of airships loaded with food and survival gear. Not to be outdone, Atlas and Mistral send their own flotillas as well.

For most of Remnant, life began to return to normal. But for the men and women whose jobs were to make the decisions that would affect the rest of the world, they found yet greater signs of change awaiting them.

The kingdoms' councils found themselves in a conference call that lasted late into the night, and it was quite clear that more such discussions would come.

* * *

"Is there anything else?"

" _Only trifling matters, compared to the revelations regarding this Time Space Administrative Bureau."_

"I will be the judge of that." A simple glare through the scroll connection was sufficient to make the man continue.

" _...then, yes. There is a smaller issue. Nothing compared to this, but had the world not changed so suddenly, it could have proven to be a problem. There is a new Faunus front, as I am sure you heard through the news after the Fang's assault on Vale."_

"Bastion, yes. I have heard of them."

" _Their spokesman is specifically requesting the aid and support of the Huntsmen Academies."_ The man paused, rubbing his jaw. " _With such backing, Bastion is sure to become a stabilizing influence counter to the White Fang. It will polarize the Faunus, I am certain, but the world will be behind the ones working for peace."_

"And?"

" _Beacon and Atlas are already behind them, and Shade is sure to follow soon. Haven will be suspect if it does not support them as well."_

"Then do so, Headmaster Lionheart. Haven should support this attempt at peace as well, thus keeping your position secure." Salem leaned back in her seat, tenting her fingers on the table.

" _Are you quite sure? This runs quite counter to your requests in months prio-"_

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "The world has changed quite suddenly, as you have said. Do as I have told you, Headmaster, and events will proceed to your benefit. Now, I am certain that you have duties to attend to, as do I. We will speak again later."

Another wave of Salem's hand disconnected the call. Her eyes rose, meeting her Maiden's steadily. "So, now we know."

Yasmine nodded warily. "We do."

"A summit of Remnant's nations, to be conducted in a week's time on Vytal Island, where the world's representatives will meet with this Bureau to discuss the future of my planet." Salem actually let out a short, sharp laugh. "Audacious of them. But, if their intentions are as they say… very intriguing, as well."

Yasmine frowned, sipping at her tea while she thought. "You seem… rather unconcerned. None of this surprises you?"

"Unconcerned? No. I do have concerns, of course. I will even go so far as to say that I do find some surprise in the existence of this dimensional Bureau. Belkans haven't set foot on Remnant in over a thousand years; I'd honestly thought they'd bombed themselves to extinction." Salem took a moment to pour herself a few fingers of whiskey; the alcohol did little for her, but she did like the taste. "But the _concept_ of a worlds-spanning civilization does not surprise me in the slightest, no."

"Regardless, we have a time and a place for this meeting of worlds, now, and even a basic itinerary. More importantly, this TSAB has said they cannot make decisions until _every_ nation of Remnant is represented."

"What do you intend to _do?_ Surely it will be too strongly defended to assault."

Salem just smiled.

* * *

"Roman Torchwick."

Torchwick glanced up from his book, appraising the man standing at the door. The man was as tall as he was, imposingly muscular, wearing a tattered brown trenchcoat over armor and similarly colored clothes. "That's my name."

"The doctor will see you now."

"Fantastic. I've only been waiting for news for three days now. I understand he's busy, but there's something to be said for timely updates on things that matter." Torchwick tossed the book onto his bunk, rising to his feet and twitching his own coat into proper place.

The man just grunted, stepping aside to let Torchwick out.

"I can't help but notice you're the only other guy I've seen around here, other than the good doctor himself. What's your story?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Follow me."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Fine, fine. Everyone has secrets. You have me at a disadvantage though, you realize."

The burly man grunted again, but acquiesced to the implied request. "Zest."

"Zest! A pleasure. Well, let's not keep the good doctor waiting."

It only took a minute of travel through the stone corridors to reach their destination. A metal door slid open to reveal another laboratory room, filled with storage lockers lining the walls and yet more blinking and beeping consoles. Torchwick's attention was focused elsewhere, though.

A tall cylinder occupied the center of the room, filled with translucent blue liquid. Inside, Neo floated passively, buoyed by the fluid within. He did not want to look. Not at what was _left_. There wasn't a stitch of clothing on her, making the ravaging of her flesh all the more apparent. Medical fittings were fixed to her body, keeping the tubes threaded into her injuries secure. Her remaining eye was closed. _Small mercies..._

"Mr. Torchwick! Welcome, welcome-" Jail walked toward him, all smiles and cheer, though his manic grin faded when he saw Torchwick's expression. "Ah. Yes, you want assurances, and understandably so. Well then, to business. Oh, I told you before, don't give me that look. Of course this is business. I am a professional, the workings of the body _are_ my business."

Torchwick pursed his lips. "Business, then. What do I need to know, Dr. Scaglietti?"

"Bad news first, as the saying goes. The fact of the matter is that your niece is very gravely injured. The Grimm entity possessing her did so quite rampantly and without regard to maintaining the integrity of her organ structure; in fact, it did so with such thoroughness that I would go so far as to say that this was an intended feature and not a bug. But… as you can see, there were procedures that had to be done, simply to remove necrotic tissue and to stabilize her."

Torchwick couldn't hide the grimace that spread over his face. "How bad is it, Doctor?"

"Most obviously, amputation of her arm and leg. Between the Grimm possession itself and the… unfortunate haste with which Tre was forced to act, her cardiopulmonary system was completely destroyed, not to mention other necessary organ structures. The majority of the equipment connected to her is dedicated to maintaining oxygenation of her brain and remaining organs, as well as providing necessary nutrients to- well, to keep her alive. I reiterate- she is _stable_ at this time, but you understand that I am keeping her in a medical coma for a reason."

The good cheer had vanished completely from Jail's face. Torchwick was thankful for that; if the doctor had kept anything of that grin, Torchwick might not have been able to stop himself from punching the man. "...keeping her under so she doesn't have to deal with this. I get that. But what can you do? What can _I_ do?"

"You can make decisions for her, Mr. Torchwick. Wholesale cloning of biological systems is not without its risk, you see. Your hand was a simple matter, bone and skeletal muscle. Replacing as much as little Neopolitan has lost will inevitably lead to degenerative effects on her body that will impede her quality of life. Another, even more invasive option is to clone an entirely new body for her and transfer her linker core and consciousness to it; but again, these full-state clone bodies are not without similar risks. It should also be mentioned that by some less… progressive… definitions, Neo would be temporarily deceased during the process."

Behind them, Zest shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Jail glanced at the hulking man, giving a tiny shake of his head. Concern for Neo almost made Torchwick miss the exchange, but he realized there was _something_ about the idea that made Zest uncomfortable. "Is there a third option?"

Jail's smile came back, but it was a careful, measured thing. "Ah, yes. I was hoping you would ask."

* * *

With things continuing to settle down across Vale, the various student teams housed at Beacon had been released from duty to see to personal needs and necessities. By a stroke of good luck, the fallen CCTS tower had missed the classroom and engineering buildings of the academy, allowing for those that needed the facilities to maintain and repair their battle-damaged equipment. Ruby and her team were taking up space at their preferred maintenance room, getting their own weapons back into fighting shape.

 _Crescent Rose_ was once more splayed out in pieces on a worktable in front of Ruby, and next to her Yang was going through the painstaking process of replacing the destroyed half of _Ember Celica._ Weiss and Blake were hanging around as moral support, as their own weapons had made it through the events relatively unscathed.

A cheerful knock at the door nearly made Ruby drop the new tip of _Crescent Rose's_ blade. She hastily set the wickedly sharp curve down on the table, dusting off her hands. "It's open!"

The door creaked open to reveal Lindy and Zafira, the latter of which was hauling a large, cloth-covered object, nearly as tall as he was and just as wide.. The guardian beast wasn't quite straining under the weight, but it was obviously heavier than it looked. "I hope we're not interrupting?" The admiral asked, smiling at them all.

"Nope!" Ruby waved them in, smiling back." Just getting back into fighting shape! How are the talks going?"

"Proceeding as well as one could hope. Other than answering questions about the last few months, it's pretty much out of our hands now. The diplomatic corps is better suited for this kind of thing, anyways." Lindy gestured for Zafira to set his burden down on one of the tables, and it thumped heavily enough to shake the floor. "More importantly, I have a little gift for you."

"Kinda big for a little gift, don't ya think?" Yang strolled over, peering at the object's covering. "What is it?"

Lindy's smile widened. "Well, Glynda and I were talking earlier, about how all this started. And she told me about how you four stowed away on her bullhead when she came out to investigate the crash site."

"Ah- ah ha… ha. Yeah, that." Ruby felt her cheeks heat a little. "I mean, it all turned out well in the end, but wow was I wrong about it." There were a few chuckles behind her, and her blush deepened.

"I wouldn't say that. It just took a few months longer than you thought it would." With a flourish, Lindy tore the cloth wrapping away. "Glorious, heaven sent star metal. Your finder's claim."

Ruby's eyes widened. A huge plate of silvery metal, part of the _Arthra's_ hull, sat on the worktable, shining under the overhead lights. "Oh _wow._ Are you sure?"

"Quite sure. After all, your team has been selected to be part of the security detail at the summit next week. Can't have you outfitted with anything but the best, can we?" Lindy produced a pair of engraved cards from her pocket, holding them out. "We also can't have our local contract mages without devices. Metallurgic information for the plating is in their datafiles, as well as some… _useful_ spell algorithms for metallurgy processes."

One card found its way into Ruby's trembling hands, the other went to Weiss. _Forge magic._ The mere thought of it... "Thank you, Lindy," Weiss murmured, when Ruby couldn't find words. The younger Rose was too busy trying to get her breathing under control, keeping what she knew was an ear-piercing squeal from deafening everyone in the room. _Forge magic!_ "We won't disappoint you," the heiress said.

"I never thought you would. Excuse us, then. We'll leave you to your work." Another smile, and the two slipped back out the door.

Team RWBY gathered around the shining plate of metal. Blake reached out to run her fingers along it, eventually fixing Ruby with a small grin. "A star metal blade for _Crescent Rose_ , hmm?"

Ruby couldn't stop the grin from spreading her own lips as she punched the air. "And new plating for _Ember Celica._ And whatever else we can think to do with it! C'mon, team! We've got five days to get ready!"


	44. Prelude IV

((As has been the case before, this Prelude has been written by Golden Lark.))

Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Prelude - And Eternal I Endure

Year 1, Day 4: I have found a building with a working terminal. I'll use it as a personal computer until a better alternative arrives.

It's been four days since I woke up. My body has merged with the greater composite of the Creature. My physical form is now mostly white 'control composite.' The feeling is overwhelming. I can close my eyes and see a thousand thousand little pinpricks of light; nearly mindless drones, marching off to the far corners of the world. I'd recall them right now if I could figure out how, but their current marching orders are overriding what faint influence I think I should have over them.

I am not in pain, I can talk and move normally, and I can definitely sense the greater mass of the black composite that remains in the caldera. Every once in awhile, more drones emerge from it. I think they are replacing older drones that were killed.

Every day I see wild lights on the distant horizons. Every day they come slower and slower, in fewer varieties.

I need to gain control. As soon as possible. At any cost.

* * *

Year 1, Day 54: I have broken apart the greatest masses of control composite (other than myself) repeatedly, but they keep merging back together. If I remove them from the caldera, they ooze back into it. If I place them in containers, they shift and warp and become capable of breaking out. For the periods of time the control composite is scattered and weak, I can do so much more; pinpricks of light in my vision become portals to distant shores. I can vaguely sense pockets of discord and high technology where my drones (they're mine now, I must accept this) walk.

However, the more deeply I commune with the Creature (Creatures? . . let's just call them the Grimm), the more easily I lose track of time, and the control composite can act to free itself and re-merge. It is doing so faster and faster, and being more subtle in its attempts to regain control.

I realized it was going out of its way to not shake me from my trance with my latest 'dive' into the Grimm. By the time I woke up, it had completely escaped its various containments and re-merged. This had to stop. It was evolving, and in time it would out pace my influence.

The lights on the horizon had dwindled down to one every few days, by this point.

* * *

Year 1, Day 205: I am standing (indirectly) in the remains of a plaza. Drones all around me are tearing at walls that still glow with arcane light. One by one the buildings of stone and magic are torn down.

However, this is not what has my attention.

This area registered on the 'technology' sensor but not the 'negative emotion' sensor. Looking around, I could see why. Corpses littered the area. Not torn and broken, not burned, melted, or cut - but mutated, twisted, and diseased. Someone, somewhere, was using biotechnologic weaponry indiscriminately on the remains of the surface. Apparently they planned on simply cleaning the surface of life and reseeding it as they saw fit with bioengineering, damning everyone left whether they posed a threat or not.

I had more or less gained as complete control as I was going to over the Grimm at this point. Osvaldo had eventually returned to my side and reported on the things he had seen; he had also been instrumental in helping me 'trick' the control composite. Rather than allowing it to remain with me at the control nexus, I had set it to distribute itself more evenly throughout the drones. This resulted in better, smarter, faster drones - and prevented it from trying to usurp me. The downside was that the drones that gained more experience became ever-more touchy to control.

In any case, I had been too passive. The magic plague that was ravaging the planet would end everything if it wasn't stopped. Thankfully, it seemed to be an actively controlled thing; it was spreading where and how its controller willed, and required a steady supply of mana to persist. Once I found and culled its controller, it would simply stop.

I released the drone I had been possessing and opened my own eyes. Osvaldo and I exchanged nods. Our next steps would be . . . taxing. To our souls, if not our resources.

* * *

Year 1, Day 236: We found the plague controller. Osvaldo has stopped the wind over the entire world, and I have pushed all of my drones to converge on that island. The residents are defending themselves well enough, but they are only tasting a trickle of my army. Soon, more will arrive.

* * *

Year 1, Day 243: The Grimm converge on the island in endless waves, at all hours, from all directions. The defenders are adapting the plague to attempt to infect the Grimm. On a related note, I wish the Grimm left more substantial corpses for longer; if they did then the bodies would have already piled up enough for them to make it over the walls.

* * *

Year 1, Day 245: They have succeeded; I can feel individual drones twisting and resisting control. However, they do not attack their fellows. Rather, the plague seems to be pulling up various genetic profiles that are in the composite and causing them to manifest. The human-shaped drones are mutating into numerous odd forms, but are otherwise not destroyed. However, they become useless after mutating too much.

It takes some mental gymnastics, but I am able to classify the plague as a 'work of man.' In an instant the 'pure' drones turn on their infected brethren and rip them to shreds.

* * *

Year 1, Day 246: I have made a tactical error.

* * *

Year 1, Day 247: Now the vast majority of the Grimm on the island are infected, and consuming each other. As they devour each other, they become a single, larger mass. As the mass becomes larger, its control composite also grows larger. From the handful of pure drones I still have in range, I can see that the white protrusions on the giant Grimm are now threaded with a baleful red.

It seems to be acting like an amoeba at this point; it is large enough that it is flowing over the walls.

* * *

Year 1, Day 248: It's over. Now I need to decide how to deal with a giant, infected Grimm. Osvaldo has volunteered lightning. Lots of lightning. However, I hesitate; the 'red' might provide an opportunity.

* * *

Year 1, Day 253: My indecisiveness has consequences; the infected mass has entered the ocean and now resembles a flatworm. It seems to be swimming back here.

* * *

Year 1, Day 254: Osvaldo pulled me out of trance to show me that the newest drones being produced are infected. They all show inhuman features and disproportionately high levels of control composite; however they are still behaving. Apparently the 'red' is interfering with their default programming, to a degree. I need to take advantage of this. It might save many lives.

* * *

Year 1, Day 257: My hopes were unfounded. The infection seems to have settled in as a mutation factor; it's drawing on many genetic markers from the various absorbed familiars, but it's not actually influencing my control one way or another. If anything, it's encouraging greater masses of control composite to accumulate on each drone, which worries me. If I run out of control composite, I will be left with the useless black composite by itself.

* * *

Year 1, Day 258: The giant flatworm has arrived. I have ordered it to burrow and stand by. If it obeys, this might solve the problem of the drones running rampant when I am not focused on them; I can just cluster them together and have them sit. Meanwhile, a number of drones have morphed into birdlike shapes to better scan the world as they fly over it. I will admit some mild trepidation as to the speed and freedom of this evolution.

* * *

Year 2, Day 1: The flatworm mass has remained passive, as far as I can tell. I now have a much better picture of the hotspots of technology and negativity on the planet. It's time to make an attempt to rebuild.

* * *

Year 2, Day 52: Osvaldo has travelled the world, gathering scattered settlements of survivors. We will bring them to one place and start constructing a city with some of the remaining technology. I will hold the Grimm back, perfectly aware that they would overrun this fledgling society in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Year 2, Day 137: Food, water, and shelter. People slowly trickle in from the same continent. The city grows, the fields of crops expand, and an actual self-sustaining civilization seems to be taking root here. I might not need this journal anymore.

* * *

Year 3, Day 225: My city has been incinerated by fires from the sky. Those responsible will die.

* * *

Year 3, Day 226: During my time running a city, I have neglected to pay attention to the caldera. The main control core for the Grimm has sunk below the surface of the black composite. I am unsure of what steps I will need to take to recover it, as I cannot detect it below the 'water line,' as it were. Regardless, I have a city to avenge. I was too lenient; I cannot hope to rebuild humanity until every last bunker and shelter of archmages is empty. Osvaldo goes out once more to gather people from the distant reaches of the world, and I unleash the Grimm en masse, heralded by flocks upon flocks of birdlike models to scour every inch of the globe.

* * *

Year 3, Day 229: It has only now occurred to me to wonder how I have so many Grimm ready to deploy despite the vast majority of them being supposedly tied up in the flatworm.

* * *

Year 3, Day 237: I had Osvaldo return and assist me in scanning the caldera.

It's not a caldera anymore. It's more of a gigantic hole bored into the crust of the planet, ever-deepening, filled to the brim with black composite - or so the white composite lurking at the bottom would have me believe. The main control core is at the very, very bottom, where it has been shoved into a magma flow. It's far too sturdy to be affected by paltry things like geological pressure, so I am not worried about its integrity, but since it is totally out of my reach, and the white composite around it seems to have built itself enough self awareness to value separating it from me, I cannot help but be mildly worried.

However, for now my immediate concerns are the remaining bunkers, so I draw on the new excess of Grimmstuff I have and generate legions to march on all of the locations I have pinpointed.

* * *

Year 3, Day 245: It is done.

* * *

Year 3, day 320: Apparently a group of survivors was so terrified of a segment of the marching Grimm that they attracted its notice and were killed. This was . . . an oversight on my part. After my first city was destroyed, I focused too much on gathering more people and not enough on how they felt. Anyone would be terrified. Anyone would be specifically scared of gathering in large groups in the wake of the fires from the sky. They were weak, they were vulnerable. They need to be protected, and more importantly, they need to have hope. To not despair. While on some level I was disgusted by the thought of relying on primitive spiritual thinking, it was for precisely these type of situations such mental and social constructs came into being. Regardless. I needed to impress upon the remaining people that even in the face of death, they need not give up.

* * *

Year 3, Day 339: Osvaldo has returned with good news. Apparently the residue from the magical bombardments wasn't just useless brightly colored dust; it was crystallized and preserved magic of the frequencies and properties of the spells it condensed from. Harvesting this energy would be difficult, but it provided a great source of potential, especially considering that different varieties of the stuff had been building up over the course of the entire Al-Hazredian occupation of the planet. Osvaldo had been involved in the original terraforming process, but even he hadn't been paying much attention to the gradual introduction of foreign mana to the environment. The fact that the foreign mana simply crystallized and went inert contributed to this neglect.

Unlocking this power would be instrumental in climbing up from the remnants of the old society.

* * *

Year 3, Day 345: Osvaldo got caught up in an explosion while harvesting more of the dust. His reincarnation is going about as roughly as the last one; I will wait for him to return to me before doing anything particularly ambitious. In the meantime, I can experiment with the samples of dust I have on hand.

* * *

Year 4, Day 17: Osvaldo has returned to me. In the time that he was placating his new host, he had focused the boy's energies on working with (VERY small amounts) of dust. The raw and unrefined magical energy needed a level of direction and focus well beyond the capabilities of an amateur mage with no specialized equipment, however. Machinery that could harvest the raw elemental properties of fire and lightning dust was feasible; getting constructive use out of those and other varieties barehanded was not. As the technology to make specialized Devices was all but lost, we have determined that getting something useful on the level of Al-Hazredian civilian magic will be needed.

* * *

Year 4, Day 150: We did it. After much tinkering and tweaking, we copied the base format of Osvaldo's custom spellwork over his linker core (as he had been engineered to thrive on this world from the start) and modified it to be universally applied to anyone. While it attached to the linker core in the same manner as a Device, the 'virtual hardware' would be easy to distribute and spread out. We added in some basic physical augmentation, self defense, and self healing functionality, and have it set to automatically absorb and process bursts of external unfocused mana like dust. We are seeking out volunteers for testing now.

* * *

Year 4, Day 161: The testing is a success. Each subject gained the basic features we intended, and the ability to channel the energies of the dust. The ability manifested uniquely in each person, however. Apparently more of Osvaldo's linker core was custom than just the virtual device layer we copied, resulting in this unforeseen series of manifestations. Still, these unique abilities were only a semblance of what they could achieve one day with proper magical infrastructure, and we made sure to remind them of that.

* * *

Year 4, Day 195: The propaganda campaign has begun. We have started spreading the virtual device to as many people as we can convince to accept it. To assist in this, we have adopted a trigger phrase that plays to the common denominator in these times, and promotes good behavior.

* * *

Year 7: We're finally making another city.

* * *

Year 15: The city is thriving.

* * *

Year 22: As many of the survivors of the fall were familiars that managed to stabilize themselves, many of the children being born are inheriting hard coded genetic properties from their human-based familiar parents.

* * *

Year 36: No bunkers of hidden archmages remain, and I have the Grimm hibernating.

* * *

Year 58: Many cities have sprung up, and the population is rising.

* * *

Year 72: Magic reactors are being brought back online, and power flows freely.

* * *

Year 93: Small conflicts have broken out over remaining caches of Al-Hazredian resources.

* * *

Year 104: War has broken out across an entire continent. Cities burn with the help of powers we granted the people.

* * *

Year 129: The perpetual struggle for lost resources is both spurring technological development, and aggression. Virtually every human settlement is caught up in conflict vs. another in some way, shape, or form.

* * *

Year 150: I have made my decision. Despite his protests, Osvaldo is gathering the most peaceful and conflict-averse people he can convince, and is bringing them to our continent. There they will be sheltered from the coming storm.

* * *

Year 155: Once more, I unleashed the Grimm. However, to my shock there were exponentially more than before. Instead of a wave of devastation, I have unleashed a flood- and the resulting emotions and desperation from the unchosen spurred the monsters on ever harder. This time I was much less discriminate in ruining 'harmless' higher levels of technology. If Al-Hazredian infrastructure was going to be used to foment war, then it didn't need to exist at all. I will see the rest of Al-Hazred's legacy (outside of my home) reduced to mundane chunks of stone, down to the last simple weather shelter array.

* * *

Year 156: The world is quiet, and our small cache of a few thousand chosen survivors is all that remains. With my help, teaching, and a very small amount of telekinetic magic for construction, they are ready to begin anew. We have transported them back out to fertile land, and are using a simple carrot and stick approach. Any settlement that makes war against another will face the Grimm.

* * *

Year 179: I seem to have established myself as a de-facto queen. I wasn't very interested in ruling, but if the alternative is endless war, it's a small price to pay. Feats of grand architecture begin to grace the world once again. I make the journey 'home' less and less often.

* * *

Year 196: Given that I am presently the ruler of mankind, I actually get told things that I might now have picked up on otherwise. Apparently, out in the wilds, there are regular instances of small villages and wandering tribes being encountered by my growing nation. The remains of such turn up even more frequently than living examples, however. These wildcards speak unknown tongues and demonstrate bits of culture and knowledge I have never seen. They are all 'new,' as in, they all speak of being somewhere else, then suddenly appearing in the wilderness. No tales of the Grimm, no knowledge of Dust or Al-Hazredian magic, and no default disposition to obey my laws? I begin to worry.

* * *

Year 290: As settlements are established further and further from the origin point, they seem to be playing faster and looser with my laws. This isn't altogether surprising, but I still need to send a message. The wildcards certainly haven't helped, as they are rapidly reintroducing the ideas of insolence, rebellion, and theft to my people. If I do not do something effective, next will come war.

* * *

Year 302: Instead of quelling unrest, my 'message' has spurred it. The wildcards have formented outrage in the far reaches; normally after a violating settlement is consumed the rest are cowed. Suddenly another desperate struggle for unearthing Dust (as they write it formally, now) has begun, at the furthest reaches of my direct influence. Even the most benign of Dust-based technologies combined with simple magical telekinetics can be twisted into terrible weaponry with a devious enough mind.

* * *

Year 315: War has started again. My loyalists versus the uncontrollable rebels. The weapons are slightly less fearsome this time, but are bringing devastation just the same. I went to ask Osvaldo to gather another set of peaceful people to preserve, just in case, but I couldn't find him.

* * *

Year 320: War continues to escalate. As my city-state spread outward from a point, there is a dearth of resources closer to its seat of power. The rebels can simply turn around and reap the wilderness, then bring their fangs to bear quickly. My side, meanwhile, has to press the most distant loyal settlements to feed the war machine, which then has to move its forces out to the distant battlefront. With help from my officers in the capital city, I gathered a new group of 'chosen.' I brought them to a new shelter I had created in a place Osvaldo likely didn't know about, and prepared to invoke another purge. I already had ideas about my subsequent attempt at creating a more peaceful society.

* * *

Year 321: The war is a stalemate, but a new foe is rearing its ugly head: hatred. Resentment, bitterness, and all of the common side-effects of a drawn out war have come into full bloom. Even if I 'win' this war, this round of civilization has lost. I have grown soft; earlier, I would have invoked the purge as soon as I saw the symptoms taking root. Then again, the weapons and magic being used before were a bit more vicious, and left fewer broken 'survivors.'

* * *

Year 322: I began a new purge, but then the weather rose against me. The elements themselves fought the Grimm. The seas froze, the earth buckled and lava spewed forth. Lightning and ice in equal measure crushed the Grimm that marched on the cities. Warriors with silver eyes froze them in their tracks as the elements crushed them. Back on my 'home' continent I had the black composite spread across the entire surface of the land, and seep into every crevice. If Osvoldo tried to come for the core of the Grimm, he'd be sadly disappointed. There was far too much black composite for him to be rid of it all.

* * *

Year 336: I am giving up on managing an endless war. Twice my shelter has almost been discovered. Twice my chosen ones have almost been exposed to the horrors outside. I have made my decision. I am unleashing the Grimm completely, barring this shelter. I will sleep and allow the white composite to manage itself. Perhaps then Osvaldo will appreciate precisely what it is I have been protecting humanity for all these centuries.

* * *

Year 403: I awoke to chaos in my midst. The grimm had been attacking the walls of the shelter and had panicked the people inside. This had caused a chain reaction, which called more Grimm. Thankfully, I awoke and put a stop to the assault. I pulled the Grimm back from the shelter, and scanned the world through a million eyes. Once more, war had been stopped.

I think . . . from this day forth, I shall take a new name.

Salem.

Peace.

* * *

Year 550: This cycle I decided to remain hands-off. As humanity spread back out across the globe, I noted that the Grimm had been especially thorough. Anything even vaguely resembling a live magical reaction had been destroyed. Virtually every trace of my earlier attempts at raising mankind had been scoured from the face of this world; truly, it was twice over now naught but a remnant of its former glory. There was now one single piece of unfinished business, and then directed magic would never threaten this world again.

* * *

Year 551: It has come to my attention that while many buildings were left standing, the Grimm seem to have utterly and completely destroyed every single remaining flight of stairs. Curious.

* * *

Year 586: I had been keeping close watch on every boy matching the profiles of Osvaldo's reincarnation targets. I have finally found him once more, hidden and exhausted. When I sent the Grimm for him, he didn't resist.

What he didn't expect was for the Grimm to immediately converge on his new host hours after reincarnating. I'm not sure how much information he was able to convey, but I knew that it took him years to completely integrate with each new linker core to the point that his memories would jump to the next one. After two deaths back to back, I was certain that he was dead. I could find and recruit his next successor in time. On a related note, I have also been on the lookout for anyone with silver eyes. No one living has seen or heard of such a thing.

* * *

Year 602: A ship full of Belkans has crashed on my world.

* * *

Year 605: I now have a small city-state of Belkans beating back the Grimm and spreading their war-magic and fanaticism.

* * *

Year 608: After pulling another set of chosen into my shelter, I have unleashed the Grimm once more.

* * *

Year 620: The Belkans did not survive, and every last trace of them has been eliminated. I am starting again.

* * *

Year 750: Another Belkan ship has crashed. I have sent the largest Grimm I have (which was much larger than I expected when it came out of the ground).

* * *

Year 750, day 350: Which was much larger than I had any reason to expect. I now have a new river carved through this continent. Apparently 'holding back' the Grimm is a terrible idea for the long term.

* * *

Year 800: This society has grown from day one to fight the Grimm. I hold them back only to the limit of the society's capability to drive them off, but no further. As a result, this society has grown faster than any other I had yet to cultivate.

* * *

Year 850: Eventually, war happened again, despite the omnipresent Grimm. However, it was much less intense than previous examples. Leaving the Grimm at large has spurred the growth of a much more empathetic and humanitarian mindset.

* * *

Year 900: Racism is now a huge flashpoint, as the 'Faunus' and baseline humans are at odds due to minor visible genetic differences. I am coming to accept that war is an inevitable part of humanity, however I am also growing more and more adept at shaping societies with every cycle I begin.

* * *

Year 1000: I now have a better idea of how the composite is multiplying. If I have the Grimm idle at the former caldera, then the composite absorbs matter and generates more of itself. If they march in endless waves out into the world, then they are killed by people, and the composite spends its energy on remaking them as opposed to multiplying or growing larger ones. Each of my 'cycles' resulted in a gigantic Grimm gestating while I 'held back' for a few decades. I have taken to stashing them in various places across the globe far from the old caldera, so that they do not grow any larger in the meantime. They tend to stay hibernated unless sufficient emotions manage to wake them up. Technology hasn't progressed nearly as much as needed to attract their direct attention, thankfully.

* * *

Year 1033: A third Belkan ship made rough landfall. I directed countless lesser Grimm and wiped them out before they could pose a problem. Humans across the world suffered for my temporary focus, but the alternative was worse. I couldn't move one of the giants, and I didn't want to purge again.

* * *

Year 1100: Taking my more detailed sociological notes across the centuries into consideration, this inadvertent eugenics experiment seems to be a complete success. I might need to reset society once or twice more, but the need for wiping the slate clean decreases with every new cycle. People are friendlier to each other, happier, and more thankful to simply be alive. Individual tragic deaths do not impact the collective social consciousness nearly as hard as they did 1000 years ago; death to the Grimm is a natural, normal, and everyday experience. The Grimm provide a front for people to unite against; a natural, mutual enemy that cannot be bargained or reasoned with will do wonders for human cooperation.

* * *

Year 1223: Apparently Osvaldo's successor conveyed more details than I expected. An assault was led against my base of operations. There were no survivors, but this forces me to pull my attention away from society as a whole to focus on someone who has the potential to tear it all back down.

* * *

Year 1356: As has become somewhat routine, yet another assassination attempt occurred today. However, this time they are better armed, better equipped, and more skilled than ever before. I crushed them, but it wasn't a sure thing. I can no longer ignore Osvaldo. It's time to play politics and manipulate the nations I have grown into taking corrective action, rather than simply wiping them out wholesale to eliminate a small number.

* * *

Year 1362: I have found him. My agents captured him easily. Too easily. How? With some persuasion, he revealed that he had released the control cores for the terraforming system into the wild, where they would bind with random hosts that were completely ignorant of their potential. He managed to laugh as he told me this, laugh as he told me he had lost the single spark of potential that could allow us to reach once more for the stars.

I didn't kill him. I just made his watch as my agents killed all of the fools he had deluded into following his cause.

He didn't laugh at that.

* * *

Year 1400: All attempts to reach orbit have failed, because all Dust reactions cease outside of the atmosphere. Society is almost too reliant on Dust now; even if they do reach the stars they'd be helpless and vulnerable without it, or any way to procure more of it. I also worry that the supply of Dust might completely run out if society grows too large. Thankfully, mining technology improves as fast as other technologies; however if I am forced to reset society many more times, they might lack the necessary tools and skills to reach the remaining Dust deep underground. I might need to invest more influence in this and subsequent societies to prevent the need for another reset.

* * *

Year 1450: Sociologically, this set of humanity is the most peaceful one yet. Not 'peaceful' in an objective sense, but better than before. I've noticed that the harder the Creatures of Grimm (as they are now commonly called) gnaw on the various settlements, the less prone humans are to warring on each other. The most violent and angry people always get targeted first, generation after generation. I seem to have stumbled into a very effective eugenics cycle. I have been keeping careful notes elsewhere about past populations, and the numbers are clear. It's actually doubly fortunate that I don't have to leash the Grimm as much any more; the less they clash and die, the larger the biggest ones grow. If I am constantly crashing endless waves of them into the fortifications of humanity, then the Grimm keep individually re-forming at the caldera (and surrounding grounds now) and aren't building up in the 'womb,' so to speak. I have too many oversized problem children already, and I have nothing that can destroy them handy. Each one of those gargantuan beasts resulted from the times I pulled the Grimm back completely for a decade or so to allow mankind time to re-establish itself. I must invest far, far too much of my total 'influence' into each one of them to make them useful; during those times vast swaths of lesser Grimm go back to 'autopilot.' I can only influence and calm them so much. If I focus on one of the giant ones, a billion lesser ones go for mankind's throat. It is now more true than ever before: I am the only thing standing between mankind and extinction on this world.

* * *

Year 2045: Four great nations have risen in the shadow of the Creatures of Grimm. They grow ever larger, and ever greedier. While I have been content to watch the developments for a long time, now, I see signs that another hand is at work. It took time, since now I work from the shadows, but a name has kept coming up over and over again. My agents in Vale hear the whispers. A few of them even vanished. But what I learn is priceless: there is a figure in the underworld seeking out women with awesome powers. Those who speak of him refer to him only as 'Oz.'

* * *

Year 2051: It is worse than I feared. Far, far worse. 'Oz' was not simply working in Vale's underground. He sits on its throne. He publicly goes by another name, of course, and the reference to his previous, full (forgotten?) moniker was a mere ploy to draw my attention away. However, as was ever the pattern, he once again underestimated me completely. This doesn't change the fact that he is in a position of power, though. In fact, his current ability to seek and secure the 'Maidens' of legend (a legend we both apparently allowed to remain merely such, over the course of our conflict) was far greater than my own. With a nation at his back and the terraforming cores at his command, he may very well be able to vanquish me . . . and that would spell the end for this world. He must be stopped. However, if I direct a Grim large enough to breach Vale's walls, the rest of humanity would certainly be crippled by the backlash.

Is he . . . counting on that?

Is he planning to sacrifice millions of lives to finally unite humanity against me, once and for all?

No. No, I will not use my old methods. I will do the opposite. What he would least possibly expect. I will do this, and I will hate him for it.

I will draw all of Mankind into war.

* * *

Year 2052: It has begun. By subtly targeting Mantle and Mistral's more eccentrically populated outskirts, and spreading the right rumors, I spur a cultural revolution. In turn, I have the Grimm gnaw ceaselessly at Mantle's supply lines and distant resource towns. Within one year, their eyes turn south toward Sanus in desperation. Colony ships are sent. Mistral joins them, less out of absolute need and more to simply get their own piece of Vale's pie. Vale's throne offers words of peace. Vale's settlers, however, bristle at the competition. Hackles are raised. Lines are drawn. Shortly afterward, blood flows. First a trickle, then a torrent. As each battle concludes, the 'winners' are delivered their prize: the attention of the Grimm.

* * *

Year 2057: It is done. The 'Great War' is over. Vale's King 'won,' but refused the gift of tyranthood I offered him on a silver platter. His ambitions to unite humanity behind him were shattered, and any attempt to do so in the next human lifetime would be looked down upon by all. However, he played another card as this round of the game came to a close. He founded the four 'Huntsman Academies' as points of indirect power. Ostensibly, they were a linked international set of schools to uplift and train willing people to fight the Grimm.

* * *

Year 2061: Whatever his plans are for his new Academies, I have made certain that I have people in every one. Our race to find and control the 'Maidens' continues in earnest.

* * *

Year 2082: Mankind now stands stronger against the Grimm than ever before. In his foolishness, Oz has actually increased my freedom to act. The stronger mankind is overall, the more I can afford to focus my attention on smaller bands of Grimm for greater lengths of time. The full force of the Grimm takes time to manifest after I 'let go,' and as long as I return and reassume control quickly, barely a fraction of a percent of them actually clash with humans across the globe in the meantime. It helps that I generally have them mass at the most distant points from the nations before I do this.

* * *

Year 2095: Racial tensions have once again come to a head, of all things. Faunus across the world have been evicted or otherwise chose to migrate, and converge on 'Menagerie.' It is poor land. War will be utterly inevitable, no matter what I do. Still, I can use this.

* * *

Year 2120: "Headmaster Ozpin" hasn't even been trying to hide any more. I begin to wonder what exactly it is that has him so invested in Vale. He's made it clear that Beacon Academy is his place of power. I must show him that taunting me with this is a tactical error.

* * *

Year 2129: I failed to obtain the Winter Maiden. My agent has vanished, as has the Maiden and her guardian.

* * *

Year 2133: Racial tensions are peaking at an all-time high. It is time to put some of my people to work to push this 'White Fang' a little further. In a few years I will send agents to make contact directly. I hold two of the Maidens and am once again slowly closing in on a third. I have an outline of a plan in the works to crush or take everything Ozpin has. Our great game seems to be nearing a close. Soon I will once again be able to reach for the stars.

* * *

Year 2138: Two and a half Maidens. Ozpin was careful, but his agent was negligent.

* * *

Year 2139: I now leave this place for perhaps the final time. We shall see how this 'TSAB' reacts to my influence over the Grimm.


	45. Chapter 38

Please Note: This chapter is subject to change, and is no longer to be considered final product.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Chapter 38 - But It Pours

Consciousness came slowly, a drifting rise through vaporous layers of sleepy confusion. Touch came first, the awareness of soft fabric against her skin. Then came sound and smell; faint footsteps and quiet conversation muffled by barriers and distance, the scent of cleaning solutions and flowers in bloom. A constant, steady beeping, quiet enough to be unobtrusive.

Her thoughts pieced together, bringing to the fore a sense of dread. The last thing she remembered was pain. Pain and fear, her life itself being ripped from her, skeletal fingers of terror gripping her heart and squeezing tight-

"Easy, easy. It's okay, you're safe." A calloused hand gripped hers, comfortingly. She squeezed tight, letting the fear drain away.

Amber opened her eyes, turning her head to see Qrow beside her bed. He looked… the same, but different. A touch more grey at the temples, the creases at the corners of his eyes a little bit deeper. "...you look like something the cat dragged in, old bird."

For a moment he seemed stunned, before a dry chuckle passed his lips. "Yeah, well… it's part of the job." The faint humor vanished as quickly as it appeared, and he met her eyes. "I'm sorry, Amber. I fucked up, and you paid for it."

"What are you talking about?" She raised herself up onto her elbows, looking around. They were in a hospital room, and next to the bed was a monitor, reading… her own vitals, from the lead attached to her finger. There was another woman in the room, a young blonde woman wearing a green summer dress, sitting in a chair by the door.

"I- they caught you. I was too slow, and-"

Please, don't-

Her breath caught in her throat. "I- I remember."

Motion caught her eye as the blonde stood. "Qrow, maybe I should explain to her. I've been heavily involved in her recovery, after all."

The grizzled hunter grimaced, leaning back. "Okay. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Amber, this is Shamal. She'll… get you up to speed."

Shamal moved closer, taking a seat at the bedside. "Before I begin, would you tell me how you feel?"

* * *

The last screw spun into place, and Ruby let the construct applying the force dissipate. Her storage device flashed back into its card form, and she tucked it into her belt.

Crescent Rose was finished. The minute patterns of swirls and lines from the magicked forging process caught the light from the overhead lamps, and the new blade gleamed wickedly. With eager hands, Ruby lifted the weapon off the table, hefting it in her arms and testing the weight.

Remembering Weiss' constant warnings, Ruby moved to the empty side of the room before giving the scythe a few test spins. The blade almost hummed in her hands as it sliced through the air.

"Perfect," she said.

"One more test," Weiss said, walking up next to her. Her partner held out a small magazine, filled with Burn dust; Blake had volunteered it when Ruby had been in the planning stages of the modifications.

Ruby smiled at her, taking the magazine and sliding it into the scythe's secondary receiver with sharp clack. She flicked her thumb, biting her lip in anticipation.

Crescent Rose's new blade took on a red hue, glowing energy following the Dust channels worked into the metal. "Perfect," she breathed again.

"Well, come on. Let's hit the training field and see if it holds up to combat."

"You doubt my engineering prowess?" Ruby grinned wider.

Myrtenaster was already in Weiss' hands, and she gave the revolver mechanism a test spin. "I'm more concerned you already forgot how to fight like a real huntress," she smirked, a teasing lilt to her tone.

"Oh, it's on. And after I make you eat those words I'm gonna school you with your device, too!" Ruby left Weiss sputtering in her wake of petals, laughing the whole way. "Race you there!"

* * *

"You've decided, then?"

Summer hummed thoughtfully, sharing a glance with Raven before looking back to Chrono. She and Raven had been spending some time on the training field lawn, relaxing and watching some of the student teams spar. "We talked about it for a while. Given the shake up all across Remnant, there's no real point in trying to keep going as we have been. Salem's minions will have gone to ground, so putting ourselves out there is just needless risk. We're taking up Captain Fokker's offer of protection until things settle down, since there really isn't a safer place to be."

The TSAB Enforcer nodded. "The Ifrit's a good ship, and the VIP suites leave nothing to be desired. You realize the TSAB research and intelligence branches are going to have a lot of questions for you, yes?"

"It would be foolish of them not to," Raven groused. "But yes, we'll answer what we can. If they want more, they can play with Fall."

"And we'll be on hand to counter her if she does try to give them the slip, somehow."

"Her powers are locked down, she won't be a problem. Unless someone lifts the limiter for her, she's essentially a null. You won't have to worry on that front."

"Linker Core activation detected. Linker Core activation detected," S2U intoned from Chrono's pocket. "Device IDs recognized; SD42574, SD42578."

Summer perked her eyebrows. "What's that mean?"

"It means," Chrono turned, shading his eyes from the overhead sun, "that Ruby and Weiss are getting some practice in. I should make sure they don't develop any bad habits."

"Taking them in hand, like you did Ruby before?" Summer had seen a little of what Ruby was able to do with Bardiche, even before Nanoha and Chrono had worked with her personally.

"Almost. Lotte, Aria?"

"Yes, Chrono?" Aria set her book aside; the two familiars were always near their new master, hinging on his every request. Summer knew about their previous master's passing, and the two weren't taking it very well. Aria put forth a stoic facade, but her normally energetic sister had been listless and morose.

"Ruby and Weiss are getting used to their devices. Work with them, please. Lotte, I think Ruby will respond well to your style. Aria, with Weiss."

"We'll take care of them." The two rose to their feet, trotting across the training field toward the fledgling mages. Just like that, Summer could see a bit more bounce in Lotte's step.

"I thought they'd been in a bad way, but… is it really that easy?" Summer perked her eyebrows at Chrono, still watching the two catwomen hurry away.

"In no way am I trying to sound superior, but familiars literally live to serve." Chrono sighed. "Giving them something to focus on will keep them from dwelling on Gil's death. In the long run they're still going to have to come to terms with it, but tasking them will help for now. Besides," he shrugged. "They're the best mage instructors around, especially for people with strong personalities. They were my teachers, a decade ago."

"I guess that's a recommendation if nothing else is. You seem to have turned out okay." Summer hid her grin behind her hand.

"That depends entirely on who you ask," the young man muttered.

"What about Graham's body?" Curiosity colored Raven's tone. "He's from another world, like you are, yes? What customs do they follow for their dead?"

Chrono pursed his lips for a moment. "...Graham was from Unadministered World Ninety Seven, Earth, just like Nanoha and Hayate are. Aria told me he's to be buried near his hometown. He'll... they'll keep his body in stasis until a ship can make the journey."

There were a few moments of silence following his words. Then he shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. "Anyways," Chrono moved towards some intact benches nearby, waving for Summer and Raven to follow. "Let's go watch for a bit. The next bullhead to the Ifrit isn't leaving for a few hours."

* * *

"Today marks one week since the Grimm Siege and the fall of Beacon Tower, and the arrival of the Mid-childa nation forces in the Kingdom of Vale." Phlegmatic as ever, Lisa Lavender showed as much emotion as one would while describing a cloudy day. "While we can all acknowledge that the presence of their combatants helped hold the wall, and the timely arrival of their airship broke the siege, information about this this previously unknown nation is nigh-impossible to gather."

Her image shrunk to a corner of the broadcast as footage from the siege began to play. Grainy scroll footage showed raging storm clouds, tracking a pair of light-trailing figures through the rain and lightning. "We can surmise that these Mid-childan warriors have been in Vale for some time already, as eyewitness reports match several of their number as being the individuals involved in repelling the White Fang's assault two weeks ago." The footage swapped out for video of the pink-haired swordswoman, bright glyphs forming around her as she fought a trio of stolen paladins. "Decried by the Schnee Family as fakes and imposters, we can safely say now that there is nothing fake about them. Unfortunately, this 'Signum' and her colorful compatriots have remained unavailable for comment. Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy made the following statement."

The headmaster's face blinked onto the screen, inscrutable behind his glasses. "The Mid-childan people are new to the world stage, yes, but the nation's intentions are made clear by their actions. They are friends to the rest of Remnant's people, and enemies to the Grimm. The purpose of the upcoming Vytal Summit is to officially welcome Mid-childa, and to establish the foundations for further diplomacy and trade."

Ozpin's image faded away, replaced by the newscaster's equally unreadable visage. "The Vytal Summit is due to begin tomorrow, taking place at Vytal Island itself. General Ironwood's capital ship, Blue One, is transporting the Vale delegation to the summit, while Blue Three is to remain on station in Vale along with Mid-childa's 'Ifrit'. Sources state that the 'Ifrit' cannot move from her current location, as the airship's communication system is substituting for the fallen CCTS tower."

"A magnanimous gesture from this newfound nation, to be sure, but it is a clear reminder of the new and powerful technologies that they have access to. What does their emergence onto the world stage mean for Vale? What does it mean for the whole of Remnant? Only time will tell. This is Lisa Lavender, Vale Network News."

* * *

Laevatein flourished in a sharp salute, then slid back into its scabbard with an equally sharp click. "A good match, Neptune. I appreciate the extra time you're willing to spend training with me."

Neptune mopped the sweat on his brow away with his sleeve, shrugging. "Well, with JNPR out doing the Headmaster's bidding, Jaune and Pyrrha aren't around." He glanced around, perking an eyebrow. "Where did they go, anyways?"

"The Headmaster deployed Team JNPR to escort up a delegation for the Vytal Summit. They left the day before yesterday, as it is quite the lengthy flight."

"Huh. Well, who am I to complain about you having extra time to spend, right?"

"Indeed. I have also noticed that your aptitude with your weapon is showing more clearly these last few sessions."

Neptune managed a grin at her. "I thought I'd managed to show that during the siege. Sun and I did hold a stretch of wall, didn't we?"

"You did. But, I must point out, you have a tendency to hesitate when we spar. You showed much less of that tendency today. I am pleased." Signum smiled, actually smiled at him.

"Well… okay then. Awesome." Neptune straightened, collapsing his halberd and stowing it on his back. "Does that mean I get to buy you coffee?" He raised his eyebrows, grin widening.

"I-" Signum narrowed her eyes, then huffed a short breath. "You may. But another time, though. I am to report to Ironwood's Blue One as part of the summit's security detail soon. I wanted to make sure we saw each other again before I left."

Neptune let his grin fade to a more natural smile. "Rain check, then. Take care of everyone, and I'll see you when you get back, yeah?"

"Indeed." Signum reached out, and Neptune made sure to grip her forearm in the way she seemed to appreciate. What he didn't expect, though, was her to step closer, her other hand coming up to cup his chin. Before he even realized what was happening, she'd tugged him down and turned his head slightly, rising up on her toes to touch her lips to his cheek.

Then she was gone, striding with purpose toward the distant tarmac and the waiting bullhead. Neptune stood transfixed, raising two fingers to touch the still-tingling spot, watching her receding form.

"Hot damn, man."

"Dude!"

The voices, while familiar, was unexpected, shaking him out of his trance. Neptune spun on his heels. "Scarlet? Sage!"

"Sun told us about the crap you guys have been through, but he didn't mention your new ladyfriend. Did someone finally fall for your attempts at charm?" Sage's smirk told volumes, and Neptune had to fight to keep from flushing.

"Naw, man. Signum didn't-"

"Signum, is it?" Sage's smirk widened, and even Scarlet's normally reserved expression lightened.

Neptune rolled his eyes. "Signum doesn't fall for charm, dude. She sees right through stuff like that."

"So how the hell did you get a girl like her to pay attention to a playboy like you?"

"What can I say? She knows what she likes." Neptune let his own grin come back. "So where the hell did you two come from? I thought I wasn't gonna see you two until we met back up for the Festival."

Scarlet jerked a thumb toward the airfield. "Relief ships needed extra hands. We signed up. Seemed like the right thing to do."

Sage elbowed Scarlet in the ribs. "Extra credit too, counts as a mission." Passing his own gaze out across the campus, Sage bobbed his head. "Though I bet we still have some catching up to do to match you on bonus points."

* * *

Long distance air travel was always a dangerous affair on Remnant. Away from the four kingdoms, the Grimm were an ever present threat, only becoming stronger and more common the farther one traveled. Even an atlesian battlegroup needed to show caution.

Blue One flew with a formation of a half-dozen gunships arrayed around it, weapons hot and ready for anything. Strangely, the skies remained clear the entire journey, with not even a lone nevermore crossing the sights of the ever watchful gunners and lookouts.

Team RWBY had been given VIP quarters in Blue One, and as land came into view, Ruby had her hands and face plastered to the viewport, her breath fogging the glass over with condensation. She wiped it away with her sleeve, undeterred. "There it is! Vytal Island!"

Island was an understatement. Vytal Island was huge, large enough to fit a dozen Patch Islands with room to spare. Most of the island was untamed wilderness; no Kingdom was allowed to claim land on the island. The only structure that called the island home was the Amity Colosseum itself, kept and maintained by a joint-workforce from all four kingdoms in neutral territory during the two years between each Vytal Festival.

Weiss joined her at the viewport, while Blake and Yang occupied the next. The famous territory where the Great War officially ended was something else; most people would never get the chance to even see the landmass with their own eyes, let alone set foot on it like they were going to. "It's beautiful," Ruby breathed.

"Completely untouched by industry or colonization. Even the Schnee Dust Company has never tried to prospect for Dust on the island." Weiss' expression darkened a little, her lips pursing. "Admittedly, it's probable that the only thing keeping my father from doing so is that even he won't be able to downplay the political and social ramifications that would arise from doing so."

"He'd lose more money than he'd gain, eh?" Yang snorted.

"Yes."

Their scrolls all buzzed in tandem, and the PA speaker in the wall crackled. "Security detail to the launch bay. Repeat, security detail to the launch bay."

Ruby was already at the door, jamming the button to open the secure barrier. "That's our cue, team! Let's go!" By the time the others even managed to leave the room, she was all the way down the hall, bouncing on her toes while she waited for them to catch up. "Come on, girls! We don't want to be late!"

Large enough for every gunship and bullhead attached to the cruiser to fit inside, the hangar was quite spacious with the majority of the smaller craft deployed as Blue One's defensive picket. There were dozens of Atlas soldiers gathered inside the room. Ruby counted a half dozen specialists as well, their personalized gear standing out amongst the standard-issue white armor of the lower ranks. Two teams of TSAB flight mages rounded out the numbers, along with the others from Beacon. Ruby led her team through, zeroing in on Uncle Qrow and Signum.

She'd gone over the mission details when they'd first settled into their cabin. At least, the mission details their clearance was sufficient for. Along with the two Mage Teams from TSAB HQ, Signum and Zafira along with Nanoha, Fate, and Arf were assigned to the security team as well. Lindy and Chrono were aboard but absent from the hanger; the Arthra's ranking officers were there for the deliberations themselves.

Ruby snapped off a playful salute to her uncle and the leader of the Wolkenritter, unable to hide her grin. The novelty of being an officially recognized local contract mage hadn't worn off yet. "Captain Yagami, Huntsman Branwen! Reporting for duty!"

Her uncle shook his head with a chuckle, while Signum returned her salute with complete seriousness. "At ease, Rose." Once Ruby dropped her salute, Signum allowed her a small smile. "I assume you used your time on board effectively?"

"Yup! We made some use of the sparring room, and I made sure everyone took the time to read the handouts." The small scuffle behind Ruby didn't even make her turn her head. "Yang, leave Arf alone, you two can wrestle later!"

"She started it!"

Qrow was leaning a little, eyeing Ruby's back. "How's your baby girl, Ruby? I heard Lindy gave you something for her."

Weiss groaned. "Qrow Branwen, you know she never shuts up if you get her started about that kind of thing."

Ruby hmphed, pulling Crescent Rose off her back. "She's better than new, Uncle Qrow! Take a look!" A flick of her wrist and a quick spin flung the blade out to full extension, and she held the weapon out for inspection.

Qrow took the weapon with due respect, running his gaze up and down the engraved blade. "A rose motif, Ace?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"They're not just for decoration, they're Dust channels! She's got a port for a powder magazine now, see?" Ruby tapped the new receiver, grinning wider. "And the new metal's strong enough to maintain integrity, even with all the sectional parts."

Qrow nodded thoughtfully, giving Crescent Rose a test spin before collapsing her and handing her back. "I'm impressed. If it really works as well as you say, I might look into having you do the same to Murder. He could use an upgrade."

Blake, Weiss, and Signum all stared at the grizzled huntsman. Blake was the first to put the incredulousness to words. "Your weapon is named Murder?"

"A Murder of Qrow's?" Signum gave her head a small shake. "Really?"

"Hey! I was fifteen and cool when I came up with it."

"It's a perfect name for his scythe!" Ruby was quick to defend her uncle, frowning at the three, before looking back to him. "And I'll be happy to, it'll be fun!"

They were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Winter Schnee nodded to them, glancing down at her scroll. "You are all already familiarized with your assignments?"

Ruby straightened up, nearly dropping Crescent Rose in her haste to holster the weapon. "Y-yes ma'am! Team RWBY is on VIP escort detail! We're to escort arriving delegations from the airdocks to the- the deliberations chambers! Headmaster Ozpin wrote the mission brief for me himself!" A smirk came unbidden to her lips when she remembered what had been in the information packet.

Signum gave a slow nod. "Deliberations security."

The senior huntsman amongst them took a swig from his flask. "Not a clue."

Winter sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for a brief moment. "Huntsman Branwen, with me. And please, stay professional."

Qrow rolled his eyes, tapping his vest pocket. "Low proof, don't worry. I'll be a good boy."

"Small mercies," Weiss snarked.

* * *

"That is a most impressive creation," Lindy remarked.

As their bullhead closed on the colosseum's air dock, the sheer scale of the structure became apparent. While a proper cruiser such as Blue One was nearly as long, and the Arthra and Ifrit were longer, the Amity Colosseum out-massed all of them combined. The gigantic Dust crystal that formed the floating arena's propulsion system alone probably massed more than the entire Arthra.

"The Amity Colosseum is, and has always been, a state of the art joint project," Ozpin mused. "All four kingdoms contributed to the original construction, and continue to do so with each iteration of infrastructure upgrades as the years progress. It is one of the greatest symbols of the kingdoms continuing to work together."

"Vale was scheduled to host the Vytal Festival later this year, correct?" Chrono continued to eye the great arena, picking out details as they became apparent. "What's going to happen now, after the damage to the city?"

"I would like to believe that Vale will host the Festival as originally planned. It is important to show to the world that, even after troubling times, the kingdom will persevere," Ozpin paused for a moment, rubbing his chin. "I do not believe it will be remiss of Vale's council to request assistance in preparing, and I do not believe that the other kingdoms will find such a request problematic. What better way to show that the world is working together, than to work together to make such an important event transpire?"

* * *

Amity Colosseum, for all of its grandeur, only had one dock capable of handling continental-class cruise liners; most people boarding the giant stadium would do so via small air shuttles local to the current hosting kingdom-city. Because of the remote location for the deliberations summit, the smaller docks were cordoned off and closed down, making it a simple matter for Team RWBY to keep up with their assignment. The delegations from both Atlas and Vacuo had already arrived, and had been escorted to the chambers with little drama.

Little drama, but not none, Blake mused. The Atlesian diplomats had been obvious, if not loud, about their displeasure with Blake's position as one of their security escorts. In return she'd done them the favor of ignoring them, other than seeing them as mission objectives to defend.

Now, the two passenger liners were holding position some distance from the colosseum itself, within Blue One's protective envelope of gunships. A third airship was approaching the dock, and Amity's loudspeakers were broadcasting updates to those waiting.

"I thought Vale's delegation came with us on General Ironwood's cruiser," Blake mused. The ponderous liner was of obvious Vale construction, both in coloration and style of its airframe.

"Oh, they did!" Ruby was bouncing on her toes while they waited for the boarding ramp to finish extending, eyes shining.

Blake looked back at the airliner just in time to see JNPR walking down the extended ramp. Jaune and Pyrrha were both glancing at Blake like she was walking around naked, and Nora was failing to cover her giggles with a hand, and Ren just refused to look at her. "...hey guys. What's got you all spooked?"

"Vale sent the Spirit of Sanus out earlier in the week to pick up another delegation that doesn't have an airfleet of their own! That's where JNPR's been!" Ruby's grin widened, and her hand gripped Blake's elbow, holding firmly-

Oh no.

Ruby's hand was clamped around her arm, and suddenly Yang's hand landed on her opposite shoulder. The two half-sisters wore identical grins.

"Blake!" The booming voice was just as she remembered it, despite having not heard it for years. Held tightly by both Ruby and Yang, Blake couldn't shadowstep away. They knew. They both knew.

It was only the tiniest bit of solace that Weiss seemed completely lost.

The mountain of a man that was her father was hurrying down the ramp, just shy of running, and the slight form of her mother was just behind him. Blake couldn't speak, words stuck in her throat.

"Chieftan Belladonna, Mrs. Belladonna! Welcome to Amity!" Ruby had let go of Blake to step forward and bow to the two, but it was far too late to run.

Flowing fabric engulfed Blake as her mother threw her arms around her shoulders, squeezing tight. "Oh, look at you," Kali gushed, holding her back out to armslength, "We've been so worried, but here you are hale and healthy… you've been eating enough, haven't you? And your hair, it's so short!"

Blake could only watch in a stunned stupor as her mother fussed over her, and her father exchanged pleasantries with the leader of her team. "You would be Ms. Ruby Rose, yes?" Ghira pressed his fist into his palm, giving a short bow. "Our thanks for your presence. Mr. Arc and his team has told us much about you, and how you helped give our daughter a home that cared for her and not just a place to live."

Ghira's eyes flicked over the rest of them, coming to rest on Weiss. "...Miss Schnee."

To her credit, she seemed unfazed, her years of social etiquette training coming to the fore. "Mr. Belladonna. A pleasure to meet you."

"Hm. Not words I would have ever expected from one of your blood, but the youth of today are full of surprises. A pleasure to meet you as well. I have heard many good things from your friends in Team JNPR."

"I hate to interrupt, but we're supposed to see you to the deliberations chamber as soon as possible. If you'll please follow me?" Ruby bounced on her toes again, and at Ghira's nod she turned and led them all into the colosseum proper. Blake found herself moving on autopilot, swept up in the group.

Weiss was walking next to her, giving her a bit of a sidelong glance. "You never told us you were royalty," she murmured.

"I never wanted to make a big scene!" Blake hissed the words, flushing. I didn't want anyone to know, she left unsaid.

Nora glomped onto her side, giggling. "That's 'cause our princess kitty is so modest!"

Trying to free herself from Nora, Blake whirled her glare on Pyrrha and Jaune, seeing their eyes were still wide. "Why are you staring at me like I came to class in my underwear?!"

Pyrrha glanced side to side. "...Mrs. Belladonna may have insisted on showing us her scrapbooks."

"Baby pictures," Jaune croaked.

She felt her cheeks heat to incandescence. "I'm going to kill you all in your sleep."

"Silly Blake," Nora chortled, "I've learned from Hayate! I don't sleep anymore, I just wait!"

* * *

"Councilmembers, Headmasters, and Bureau diplomats, the Mistrali delegation has arrived!"

The delegations chamber was something of a misnomer. The Vytal Colosseum had various cafeterias and meeting chambers, let alone the plethora of locker rooms for preparing combatants, but for the purposes of the summit itself the grand arena had been chosen. The raised main stage bore a roughly circular arrangement of tables at which the various delegates sat, with a raised bier and podium for the given speaker of the moment. From her vantage point in the lower stands, Sentra had line of sight on almost every entry point, not that anyone was supposed to use those entrances. The single open hallway, directly beneath her and as such out of her field of view, had none other than Signum standing guard, so she was confident that it was as well defended as feasibly possible.

Still, the gigantic scroll-screens over the arena itself let her keep a passing eye on the arriving diplomats. Team RWBY waited until Mistral's councilmembers and the Headmaster of Shade Academy entered, then quietly slipped back out the double doors and shut them securely behind them. The Mistrali delegation proceeded toward the ramp leading up to the arena floor as a group.

"Yagami to all teams," she heard Signum's voice come through her jacket's headset, "Headmaster Lionheart is showing signs of nervousness, more so than one should in the current situation. Be on guard."

"Acknowledged," Sentra responded. She heard Nanoha and Fate's responses as well; the two Aces were situated at opposite ends of the arena floor itself, ready for anything.

On the floor, the Mistrali delegation took their seats. Ambassador Pullman rose to her feet, moving to stand behind the podium. "Delegates of Atlas, Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Menagerie, thank you all for joining us this day. Together you stand as representatives for all of Remnant. Now that you are all here, we can begin."

"Ah-" There was the clearing of a throat, and Headmaster Lionheart rose to his feet. "I apologize for the interruption, Ambassador Pullman, but the representatives of Remnant are not yet all in attendance. I have been," he cleared his throat again, anxiously, "requested to reserve a place at this monumental event for one more individual, whose presence is necessary before this summit can begin."

There was a murmur of voices as the various headmasters and councilmembers glanced around, obviously taking headcounts. Pullman perked an eyebrow. "If you would please elaborate, Headmaster? We were not informed of any additional representatives."

"Before I do so, I must request the Time Space Administrative Bureau's assurance of safe passage for this individual." Lionheart's hands were gripping his scroll tightly enough to send static through the screen.

Pullman took a moment to glance across the assembled faces, her own expression calm and collected. "The TSAB extends the assurance of safe passage to this individual, barring hostile actions taken by said individual during or immediately after the proceedings."

"Thank you, Ambassador. I am sending you flight path information now. Please have your flying mages provide escort, to ensure there are no unfortunate accidents." He tapped at his scroll, and an image came up on the arena's scroll screens; an overhead map of Vytal Island and the surrounding ocean, with a single black line curving in toward Amity's docks.

Sentra frowned, gripping Rosen a little tighter. Surprises were never a good thing for diplomatic endeavors, she knew. She keyed her comm, keeping her voice low. "What's our plan?"

"Remain in position. Headquarters Team Three will launch to provide escort. Blue One has been notified and is maintaining current patrol pattern."

Five increasingly tense minutes passed, as the delegations muttered to themselves. "Contact," Team Three's commander transmitted, "It's… a nevermore, sir. Giant size, one rider. It's-" There was a small pause, and an almost disbelieving chuckle from the man, "It's carrying a large white flag in its talons."

"...it never rains." Down on the floor, Sentra could see Chrono rubbing his eyes. "Okay, then. Let it land, but at the first sign of hostile action eliminate the nevermore and contain the rider. Security teams, full alert. Rose, get your team to the docks and provide escort."

"S-sir!"

On the screen, the Colosseum's exterior cameras panned around, focusing on the horizon. In the center of the view, a single black speck was growing in size, flanked by a rainbow of light trails.

There was a crack of breaking ceramic, as loud as a gunshot in the silence of the arena. Ozpin's mug lay broken at his feet, the handle still clutched in his white-knuckled grip.

* * *

Watching the nevermore bank slowly toward the docks, it's row of malevolent red eyes seemingly fixed right on her, had Ruby's legs jittering with nervous energy. The Grimm bird was gigantic, easily twice the size of the nevermore she and her team had fought during initiation. "O-okay team, be ready!"

"Ready? Of course I'm ready, I'm always ready. When am I not ready-"

"Yang." Blake's quiet voice cut through her partner's chatter.

"Right sorry."

The nevermore landed with silent grace, but still sent a tremor through the colosseum's deck. Ruby's hands itched for Crescent Rose, but she kept the weapon strapped to her back. Forcing her eyes to climb up the nevermore's body, anxiously avoiding its crimson gaze, she found herself looking at the rider.

The woman's skin was Grimm-bone white, except for where the blackness of her veins crawled along her face and arms. Equally white hair was done up in an elaborate style, framing blood red eyes and a black stone resting against her forehead like some strange fashion statement. The figure stood, twitching robes the color of the night sky into place around her slim form.

Ruby swallowed, then took a step forward. "W-welcome to Amity C-colosseum… ah- ma'am?"

For a moment, there was no movement at all. The woman's expression changed, the slightest bit of disgust showing through her mask-like features. Ruby felt her heart plummet toward her feet as she desperately tried to figure out what she did wrong.

A moment later, she realized that the woman wasn't even looking at them. A subdued gesture of a white hand had the nevermore turning slowly in place, and just as slowly extending a wing. Ruby and her team jumped back, hands halfway to their weapons.

The nevermore stopped moving just as slowly as it had started, its wing extended the full fifty feet from where it stood to the top of the low flight of steps leading into Amity proper. The woman turned, taking slow, graceful steps along the Grimm's plumage. The only sounds were the blowing of the wind and the soft chiming of black crystals decorating her flowing robes. When the woman's feet, hidden by obsidian cloth, touched the stairs, the nevermore retracted its wing and hunkered in on itself.

Ruby swallowed again, and tried once more. "Uhm- welcome to-"

"Amity Colosseum, yes." Crimson eyes focused on her, rooting her feet to the floor through nothing but their intensity. The woman tilted her head, and a thin smile spread her colorless lips. "You... do indeed have silver eyes."

Ruby found herself feeling very, very small under the woman's gaze. "Uhm… I… do?"

"In meeting you alone, this entire trip has been worth it." The woman nodded, straightening. "You are to escort me to the deliberations chambers, I believe. Lead the way, Ms. Rose."

Ruby couldn't suppress the shudder that ran down her spine at the realization that the Grimm-like lady who had flown in on the back of a nevermore knew her name.

* * *

"Announcing Salem, Primary Abstract Influence Controller of the Creatures of Grimm, Final Custodian of Anomalous Planet," Weiss Schnee paused for a brief moment, referencing a note on her scroll, "... B7-G1036-3 of the Al-Hazredian Empire, colloquially known as Remnant."

Absolute silence followed the young woman's words as Salem, the Black Queen of the Grimm, calmly progressed up the ramp to the tables on the arena floor. Zafira and Signum walked with her, and the tall familiar pulled the waiting chair out. Salem adjusted the skirt of her dress, sitting down without a word, and nodding to him in thanks.

No one seemed willing to break the silence, Ironwood noticed. He felt the same way; the very face of the enemy herself, nothing between them but a few flimsy tables and open air-

Ironwood snorted, shaking his head in morbid amusement. "And lo'," he quoted aloud, "the greatest enemy is revealed, and bears a face much like us all."

Eyes turned toward him, affronted, and there were a few scandalized inhalations of breath. Salem, however, chuckled softly. "Gahns. Aptly remembered, General Ironwood. You are a warrior and a scholar both."

"Headmaster today, and nothing more." There is no place for a General at this meeting. His gaze flicked toward Ambassador Pullman, who seemed to be regaining her poise, and then to Ozpin. The old professor was nearly shaking with effort to keep his reactions restrained.

The TSAB ambassador cleared her throat. "The Vytal Summit welcomes you to these deliberations. Before we continue, what title would you… prefer?"

"Just Salem, Ambassador. My position in Remnant is unquestioned, and lengthy titles will do nothing but muddle already murky waters."

"Salem, then. You are welcomed to these deliberations as a gesture of good faith, but I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we would like to know your intent." There were a few cleared throats and mutterings of agreement around the floor.

Salem nodded slowly, seeming at ease. "Then I will be simple and blunt, so as to not be misunderstood, though I will insist that the members of this deliberation let me finish before reaching any conclusions." She gazed about the room, meeting each set of eyes in turn. They lingered longest on Ozpin.

"I-" Beacon's headmaster coughed, grimacing. "I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play, Salem, but-"

"No game, dearest Ozpin. I have come to this meeting of powers for two reasons; to dictate clearly what can and cannot be changed, and to show my willingness to work toward a better future for all of us.

"Those of you who have heard of me know of me as the Queen of the Grimm. There is a false dichotomy to these words, as I am their leash but I am not their progenitor. The Grimm perpetuate without my influence."

"And yet the Grimm assault humanity ceaselessly! They exist to destroy man and the works of man, actions of which you now admit your part in for all to hear-"

"Headmaster!" Chrono pushed up to his feet, gesturing sharply with one hand. "Contain yourself, please. If Salem is speaking the truth-"

"Anything that comes out of her mouth is a lie!" Ozpin shot back, incensed.

"How rude," Salem murmured.

"If she is speaking the truth, then she is the last living Al-Hazredian in existence! Even if we take her title to mean she's merely a janitor, in the context of Al-Hazred that just means she has in her possession a broom that can sweep away planets! Do not antagonize her needlessly!" Chrono took a breath, then seemed to realize exactly what he'd said. He turned to Salem, nodding his head. "My apologies."

The Grimm Queen actually gave a small laugh. "No offense taken. However, it has now become clear to me how your Mid-Childa has existed for so long in our wake. An entire galactic civilization quivering in fear in the dark, paralyzed by the very real threat of stubbing their toes on Al-Hazred's leftovers and ending themselves in catastrophe?" She waved a hand lazily for emphasis. "Possibly the only way to survive after Al-Hazred's fall." She tilted her head, quizzically. "Tell me, how many times did the Belkan Empire nearly destroy itself before it finally succeeded?"

"Six, perhaps seven," Zafira grunted from behind her. "Maybe more if you count the Civil War as a series of separate events instead of one long lingering death."

"My thanks. This world's story would be very different if they'd managed to land on this planet once without crashing."

To one side, Nanoha opened her mouth. Before she could speak, though, a tiny yellow spell circle opened up behind her and zapped her right in the rear. All that came out was a tiny squeak, and a glare across the floor at Fate. The blonde simply shook her head slowly.

Good catch, Harlaown. Ironwood held back a snicker. When he saw Nanoha's cheek twitch, and a glimmer of light from Raising Heart's gem, though, he stiffened. Takamachi so help me-

Salem's eyes widened fractionally, and the Grimm Queen twisted in her chair to stare at the brunette Ace. "You."

Nanoha blinked. "Ah- my apologies ma'am, I didn't mean to- I mean… nya-haha... " She trailed off, flushing.

"No, not that. I felt…" Salem gestured, raising a hand toward Nanoha. "Administrative declaration; Hea, Archmage, access. State Automated Focus Identity."

Raising Heart blared loudly in Nanoha's hand, the gem lighting up. "Declaration recognized. This Automated Focus Identity Code is E28A44B."

"Heel."

The staff leapt out of Nanoha's hands, flying over in the blink of an eye to hover over Salem's palm. Chrono and Lindy and the rest of the TSAB contingent were on their feet, reaching for their own devices. "Salem," demanded Pullman, shrouded by her bodyguard's protective spells, "what is the meaning of this!"

"Necessity, Ambassador. I wish to see how your people have treated one of my…" She trailed off for a moment, a strange expression crossing her features. "...one of my social peers, I suppose you could say."

Data windows opened in front of her, information scrolling by at mind-numbing speeds. "I must admit, I didn't think any of these survived the fall. It's an assistance and augmentation focus for… lesser servitors of the Empire. Our actual janitors, if you will. Archmagi preferred to do the calculations themselves, you see.

Nanoha gingerly took a few steps forward, not quite reaching for the staff. Salem continued, either not noticing or not caring. "I can only imagine what happened to the rest of them. Probably cannibalized," she nearly growled the word, "for their components to make a one-note artillery cannon or some such. They're useless to nearly anyone without a high density external power source to pull from-"

Salem paused, the scrolling windows halting. The cascade rotated backwards once, then twice, as her gaze locked on to some graphs and numbers in tiny relief. She turned her head to look at Nanoha, eyebrows raising. "...planet-sweeping brooms, indeed. You, Ms. Takamachi, are a monster." She relinquished the device without another word. "My thanks for allowing me this indulgence. I am… pleasantly surprised by the effort and care put into… Raising Heart's… use and maintenance."

One of Vacuo's representatives cleared his throat. "May we… continue, then? The day is only getting longer."

In ones and twos, the standing members of the deliberation took their seats and positions again. "Please. Salem, you were stating your reasons for attendance before we were… sidetracked."

"Of course. As I stated, I do not create the Grimm. I restrain them, and command them if necessary. My control is limited, and scales according to a number of factors, so before you demand of me to cease the Grimm assaults on humanity, I must make this clear; I cannot. You are familiar with how a Creature of Grimm ages and grows; the elder Grimm show increased proportions of… white body mass, compared to black. They are larger, stronger, more intelligent.

"My control is finite. The older a Grimm becomes, the more control composite and therefore independence it has. I can only grip so much of this composite on a global level at a time; I have done the math, I can provide the calculations. I may influence all Grimm globally at once, having them focus more on… negative emotions rather than technology, but I cannot halt that behavior completely. Their default behavior is hard-coded and beyond my capabilities to alter."

Ironwood glanced over at Ozpin again. The man seemed fit to burst, his pulse pounding visibly in a vein on his forehead. Keep it together, Oz. Leaning forward, Ironwood raised his hand. "And you said that the Grimm reproduce without you."

"Yes, though with a caveat. I can… restrict the production of individual Grimm entities, but the production of… Grimm per time period remains unchanged. If I prevent more Grimm from being produced, then a Grimm that already exists might grow that much stronger with each passing day, or a pack will evolve excessively rapidly."

"So you're not saying that you use the Grimm to cull humanity." Ironwood leaned forward, frowning. "You're saying that you use humanity to cull the Grimm?"

Ozpin pushed to his feet again, almost growling. Salem spared the old man a glance but spoke before he could force his anger out in words. "To be fair, General Ironwood, I am forced to admit that I have done both."

Ambassador Pullman pursed her lips. "You understand that this admission does not shine favorably on you."

"I am. Picture this, Ambassador. A world of the freshly fallen Empire, a paltry million survivors after the collapse of infrastructure and their infighting for remaining resources, surrounded by so many lingering relics and technologies of the Empire that they can hardly till a field without running into one. What do you think happens next?"

Signum shook her head. "Planetary extinction inside of a hundred years. I have seen it happen, in the earliest days of the Book."

"Precisely. My actions since the fall of the Empire may have been atrocious, but they have also been necessary. As far as anyone was aware, Remnant was the last bastion of humanity across all of the Empire's territory. I did everything that I had to do to ensure that humanity would not end with us. Have I culled humanity? Yes, because if I did not then they would do it to themselves, and they would not have stopped."

There was the smack of a hand hitting metal, before Ozpin shoved himself away from the table. He grabbed his cane and staggered off as quickly as he could manage.

Ironwood swore, standing as well. "Ambassador Pullman, I would like to put forth the motion for a short recess. I think everyone needs some time to process what we've been told."

"Motion accepted. Show of hands for?" There was movement around the table, and she nodded. "And against? Very well. These deliberations will continue in one hour."

* * *

The delegations had each retreated to separate corners of the field, quietly speaking amongst themselves. Salem remained on the arena floor, Zafira standing behind her shoulder; the picture of the ever vigilant guardian.

Chrono rubbed his eyes, sighing, then glanced over the gathered TSAB members. "Takamachi. I'm sorry, but I need you to swap with Lockheed and take over her overwatch position. She'll take your post on the floor."

"Sir?" Nanoha looked confused. "Are you sure? I've got stronger defensive spells if things go-"

"Takamachi, that's an order." Chrono winced at the stricken look on her face; his tone of voice was had been too harsh. "...look, Nanoha. I understand what you're saying, but the fact is that Salem just used an administrative backdoor on Raising Heart that we didn't even know existed."

"He's right, Nanoha." Lindy's voice was as gentle as it ever was. "We can only assume the worst, that Salem has full access to anything and everything Raising Heart has ever recorded. We're going to have to do the same thing to anyone that uses a device of possible Al-Hazredian origin. I'm sorry too, but it has to be done."

Nanoha's face colored as she lowered her head. With a heavy sigh, she held out her device. "Raising Heart. Grant administrative access to Harlaown, Lindy."

"Access granted; Lindy Harlaown recognized." Even Raising Heart's synthetic voice seemed subdued, embarrassed.

"Thank you, Nanoha. Raising Heart. Classification restrictions enacted, full spectrum."

"Classification restrictions, full spectrum. Command recognized." With that single order, Chrono knew, Raising Heart would no longer be allowed in any restricted access locations within the TSAB.

Lindy gave her a small nod. "To your post, Captain," she quietly urged.

The brunette stepped away, hurrying to the distant position. Chrono shook his head slowly, grimacing again. "That's going to cause trouble across the TSAB. Not just for Nanoha."

"We'll manage, Captain Harlaown. We always have." Pullman cast a glance up at the arena floor, and the black-cloaked figure still seated there. "To further business, then. We gave Salem the floor to announce her position and intentions, but there are issues that need to be addressed when we reconvene. First and foremost, her assault on Vale."

Chrono nodded. "It was a direct attack on TSAB personnel. Vale was her hostage to make certain we wouldn't run."

"I am not certain that is the case, Captain." Signum paused for a moment, tilting her head. "She did not call out the TSAB or Mid-childan forces. She referred to Belkans. Hayate and the four of us. Her declaration to Ozpin was tailored to challenge us specifically, and such a challenge would not be ignored by ancient Belkan Knights."

Pullman tilted her head. "But you are ancient Belkan Knights."

"Ancient Belkan Knights beholden to a liege who is decidedly not ancient Belkan. The commands of our master supercede even our knightly code." For a moment, Signum looked the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Which is why you were forced to do such unknightly things as the guardians of the Book. Chrono cleared his throat to draw attention away from Signum. "So. Even if that is the case, we can't just let it slide by unquestioned. Salem will have to answer for that. The TSAB does not disregard threats to its people." Signum gave him a small, grateful glance of acknowledgement.

"Agreed. The next item, and perhaps the one that caused this entire debacle; the Seasonal Maidens." Pullman glanced at each of them, then pointedly looked across the field to where Ozpin stood. The bleakness of his mood was palpable, even from such a distance. "Headmaster Ozpin has been engaged in this struggle for the Maidens for years. We need clear answers, and unbiased ones. Ozpin's obvious hatred toward Salem makes him an unreliable speaker."

"But can we really trust anything she says?" Chrono had to say it.

"Of course not. We can only hear what she has to say, and attempt to filter out the truth from both of them."

* * *

Everyone took their seats with due gravity for the situation. Sentra found herself at Captain Takamachi's earlier post, standing at one corner of the pentagon of tables, with Vale's council on the left and the TSAB contingent on the right.

It was a position she was very uncomfortable with. She was a Navy flight mage, the sharp tip of the TSAB's spear. Standing guard as the fate of a planet was decided through diplomacy felt… wrong, as if she was intruding on matters far above her pay grade.

It was the task assigned to her now, though, and she would never let it be said she didn't give the TSAB her best.

"Before these deliberations between Remnant and the TSAB can continue, there are matters that must be addressed," Pullman said. She focused her gaze on the Queen of the Grimm. "Salem. Your assault on Vale was a directed attack against agents of the Time Space Administrative Bureau, as admitted by yourself in direct communication with Headmaster Ozpin. We have the relevant recordings of this conversation from no fewer than three different Devices that were on scene at the time; Admiral Harlaown's Durandal as well as Captain Yagami's Schwertkruez and the Tome of the Night Sky. What do you have to say regarding this?"

Salem looked completely unperturbed by the rather damning question. Rosen wasn't able to detect a single change in her… admittedly muddled energy signature. That bothered Sentra to no end. Familiars are still alive, and even the Wolkenritter emit quasi-biological signals. She really is just like the rest of the Grimm.

The Black Queen nodded gravely. "I will not deny that my actions against Vale were for the sole purpose of eliminating your personnel. However, your understanding of my reasoning is flawed. I had no interest in eliminating Bureau assets. How could I?" She shrugged, raising her eyebrows. "I knew nothing of your TSAB. I was aware of one thing, and one thing only; there were Belkans on my world."

"Remnant is not your world, Salem!" Headmaster Ozpin snapped out the words.

"Our world, then, enemy mine." Salem shook her head. "My reasoning at the time still stands. Ancient Belkan philosophy, if you can call it that, is like a virus, Ambassador Pullman. It spreads, it infects, it turns simple people into a feudal warrior culture where honor and vengeance and battle are the only things that matter, the only things that can matter."

"Signum and her fellow knights are not viruses, Salem! They are people, as much as any other, and I will not stand by and watch you slander their very identities!"

Behind Salem, Signum made a low, thoughtful sound. "Your support is appreciated, Headmaster Ozpin, but she is technically correct in that we are ancient Belkans. The early days of the Belkan Empire were bloody indeed. I take no offense from her words, as we have… modernized, as much as we are able."

"Ancient Belkan philosophy," she said again, "was a malignancy even on stable worlds, escalating to full scale warfare within a generation wherever it took root. I won't ask you to imagine the impact such a way of… life… would have on Remnant, because I will tell you in no uncertain terms that it already happened three times here. All three times I eliminated them as quickly and as efficiently as I could, as keeping the Creatures of Grimm leashed has always been a balancing act against their ingrained programming."

Across the tables, Ironwood cleared his throat. "So you unleashed the Grimm across the entirety of Remnant and ...sent your Jormungand to kill the Wolkenritter because it was efficient?"

Salem tilted her head for a moment. "Wolkenritter. Cloud Knights, if my translation is correct?" She shook her head again, dismissively. "Irrelevant… Yes, Headmaster Ironwood. One titan Grimm was the most efficient allocation of forces I could afford without further endangering the rest of Remnant. One city state for world stability is a sacrifice I have made before." She turned her crimson gaze to Pullman, continuing. "In fact, if you do indeed have these… Device recordings, you will also know that I gave a choice. The Belkans alone, or Vale with them."

The leader of the Wolkenritter nodded slowly. "...a remarkably restrained reaction, I must say."

Pullman switched her gaze to the knight. "Elaborate, First Lieutenant Yagami. Please."

"The Wolkenritter were the… boogiemen of the Belkan Empire, ever since the Book of Darkness first operated in the manner that the TSAB is familiar with. Whenever it did come to light that the Book had manifested, the Belkans would waste no effort or manpower in eliminating us, regardless of the cost. Endless multitudes of armed forces, artillery magics, and more. I distinctly remember one of my lives ending in an antimatter blast that would have wrecked the entire planetary biosphere." The knight shrugged, and next to her Zafira nodded in agreement. "Sacrificing a single city for us is… surgically precise, in my personal opinion."

"Signum Yagami, are you trying to tell us that you are… accepting of this?" Ozpin had risen out of his chair once more, face pinched in withheld anger. At least he's not shouting, Sentra mused.

"Why wouldn't I be, Headmaster? Her intentions may have been to kill us, but that is the face of war. She offered us a battle, and let it not be said that the Wolkenritter would flee from a last stand."

"I'll do you the favor of not telling Hayate you said that, Signum." Chrono sighed, bemused. The knight actually flinched at that, Sentra saw, and inclined her head toward Chrono in gratitude. Remnant really has mellowed her out a little.

Pullman said nothing for a long moment, then leaned to the side to let one of her aides whisper to her. She straightened, nodding. "Then, with reservations, the TSAB is willing to let this matter stand, temporarily, in the interests of continuing these deliberations. We are not finished with this matter, Salem, and we will be revisiting it later. Understood?"

"I understand most clearly."

"Then we will move to the next matter that needs to be brought to light. The Seasonal Maidens, and your intentions regarding them."

The tables buzzed with sudden whispers and murmurs, and Sentra knew why. The Seasonal Maidens were a secret, and Pullman had just blown it wide open. I really hope you know what you're doing, Ambassador...

Salem's eyebrows rose again, and she actually let out a small, surprised laugh. "You do pick the touchy subjects to focus on, don't you? But then, this is the time for secrets to die. Very well." Salem reached for the glass of water sitting in front of her, taking a small sip. "The Seasonal Maidens are the focus of a shadow war between Headmaster Ozpin and myself that has been ongoing for many, many years. Hundreds, even."

The floor went completely silent. All eyes turned toward Ozpin, who had gone pale. "Salem, what are you-"

"Telling the truth, old friend. Though admittedly you won't remember that fact. My fault as well as yours." Salem sighed, long and slow. "The man you all know as Ozpin transcends death, in a manner dissimilar to my own immortality. The methods are different, you see, and he has no control over its function. A blessing or a curse, I am not the one to say. The point of the matter is that Ozpin has considered himself a guardian of Remnant, and my implacable foe, for a very long time.

Mistral's lead councilor shifted in her seat, glancing across the tables at the other delegations. "About these Seasonal Maidens. You are referring to the… fable, as if it was real."

"Oh, it has been embellished over the years, but the facts remain. The four Seasonal Maidens are indeed quite real, and made such by none other than Ozpin's own hand. I have been struggling to gather them for hundreds of years now, and Ozpin has been fighting me every step of the way, unknowingly against Remnant's future."

"Enough with your filthy lies, Salem! You only seek the Maidens for-"

Something in Salem's demeanor finally bent, and she rose to her feet, shouting the Headmaster down. "I am not finished, Ozpin! Yes, we have been at war for a thousand years and more, and if I had ever given you the chance you would have cut me down to save Remnant, and in doing so destroyed it! Your actions are noble indeed, but also blind, and you would doom all of our people in your ignorance!

"You are a puissant huntsman, Ozpin," Salem lowered her voice, "and you have fought tooth and nail to make Remnant safer. I understand this, I recognize this, and I even thank you for this. Remnant is safer from the Grimm because of you. The Huntsman Academies are remarkable creations all, thanks to you. But as much knowledge as you have regarding the Maidens, regarding me, you have lost so much more.

"So save me your anger, save me your hatred, and do what you have always done. Fight the Creatures of Grimm, because no amount of diplomacy or deliberations will keep the Grimm at bay. Only the strength and will of men and women at the walls will keep your kingdoms safe. So, when these talks are over, go back to Beacon, and train your Huntsmen and Huntresses. Because Remnant needs heroes, and you and yours are in the position to forge them."

Silence rang for a long moment. Ironwood drummed his gloved fingers on his table, and Ozpin gaped at Salem, speechless. Finally, Pullman cleared her throat. "The Maidens."

"Yes, the Maidens. Four distinct parts of the terraforming engine that Al-Hazred used to make this planet habitable. Originally possessed in its entirety by a man named Oswaldo, who eventually became none other than Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy."

"The Wizard?" Sentra didn't catch who made the hushed whisper, but she definitely heard it repeated by others.

"The Wizard indeed. Oswaldo's immortality is flawed, you see. Serial in form, awakening in a new… I hesitate to say host, because it makes him sound like a parasite when it is much more a symbiosis… but awakening in a new host whenever he or she dies. The new bearer becomes an amalgam of the two over time, but… as far as I am aware, much is lost in the translation, and living memory is such a subjective thing." She looked at Ozpin again, a flicker of actual regret and pity crossing her features. "You don't even remember your old name, just as you likely don't remember mine.

"Centuries ago, almost… a thousand years past now? I would have to look for the exact date. As we were already working against each other, the Ozpin of the time split the terraforming engine to keep it from my grasp, separating it into the four Seasonal mantles and bestowing them upon the people of Remnant. I have been trying to acquire them ever since, even as he has been fighting me, because the four Mantles together were the only chance the people of Remnant had of reaching the stars again. We as a planet have entirely too much dependence on Dust, which only functions within Remnant's mana field."

Admiral Harlaown let out a low chuckle, giving a rueful shake of her head. "Telephone."

"Telephone?" Ironwood perked an eyebrow. "I don't know the word."

"Yes, yes, my apologies. Used in this context, it means a… game, played on Earth. A group of people sit in a circle, and one whispers a message to the next, who then passes the message on to the next, so on and so forth until the message is passed back to the originator… who then hears how much it has changed in being passed from person to person." Lindy gave a sad smile, looking at Ozpin. "You've been playing Telephone with yourself, Ozpin." Her voice was gentle.

Ozpin started, twitching his eyes to Lindy. He cleared his throat, clearly fighting to keep his own voice steady. "That is… not entirely true, Lindy. Admiral. I can guarantee that I retain information with… one hundred percent accuracy given enough time for each successive persona to integrate properly."

"Which is why, after your original betrayal, I made certain to assassinate you… very quickly, several times in succession, Ozpin. You had reached a point where you both knew too much and understood too little, and you were far more of a threat to Remnant than you realized in your… righteous zeal." Salem said nothing for a brief moment, then continued. "Remnant could not afford my death, and you were… dangerously close to succeeding. For my efforts, I earned a personal ghost of an old friend that has been haunting me ever since.

"But personal vendettas aside," Salem seemed to brighten, almost chipper, "it is a moot point now. Remnant has no more need to struggle endlessly for the stars, for the stars have come to Remnant in force. My long term agenda, such as it was, is over. I have one demand for my continued cooperation with the TSAB and the… nations of Remnant," she nodded to the Belladonnas in recognition, "and one alone."

"And that is?" That from Vacuo, but it was clear that everyone was thinking the same thing.

"I understand that Cinder Fall, the Maiden of Fall, is now in TSAB custody. Do what you will with her. Try her for her crimes, incarcerate her, execute or release her, it matters not to me. But if and when she is to come to the end of her life, she must be returned to Remnant so that the Fall Mantle finds a new host here. Remnant's biosphere will keep for decades without her power present, but it will not keep forever."

"The TSAB agrees with this request," Pullman replied, "contingent upon your assistance in furthering our understanding of the function of the Seasonal Mantles."

"I accept these terms." Salem inclined her head. "If I may hold the floor for a moment longer, I have words for the nations of Remnant specifically."

"The floor is yours."

Salem nodded graciously, rising to her feet. "Representatives of Atlas, Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Menagerie. Today, you have all met the face of the Grimm. I do not wish to be your enemy, though I am she who must influence the enemy you fight, so as a show of good faith I will remain in contact with you. The Creatures of Grimm cannot, and will not cease their assaults on the bastions of humanity, but I can give you fair warning of surges in activity so that you can adequately prepare. I will even offer to influence Grimm movements on your behalves, but be warned: such actions will always have consequences. I will only recognize such requests if they are made publicly through the TSAB as a mediator, at which time I will share likely side effects. As an example, any request to completely halt all attacks within fifty kilometers of a city-state would be entirely possible-" a chorus of whispers erupted around the table, "-but doing so would surely doom every last settlement for the next surrounding two hundred kilometers within a week. This is the calculus I have been perfecting for a thousand years, and I am now 'happy' to share the burden to those who are willing." Her tone was anything but lighthearted by the end of the sentence, and even Sentra could see why. No one, especially politicians, would want to take responsibility for any particular life being given to the Grimm over any other.

"To the TSAB, I make an offer of mutual benefit. I am willing to relocate several of the Grimm titans to uninhabited locations, so that you can eliminate both the threat they pose and the burden they place on my own influence. It will be that much easier for me to work with the nations of Remnant if my influence is not taxed by their existence."

* * *

Ruby jerked up out of her chair when she heard the door to the arena unlock. The Grimm woman passed through silently, shadowed by Signum, who closed the door behind them. "Rose. Anything to report?"

"N-no sir! Everything's been quiet out here." Ruby couldn't help but keep glancing at the pale woman next to Signum. "How are the talks going?"

"Better than expected, I believe." Signum gave a short nod, almost to herself, then continued. "We are to escort Salem back to her… transportation… as her part in the deliberations is over."

Ruby pulled her device card from her pocket. "Transmit to Weiss, Team RWBY to the chamber doors!" Stuffing it back into her pocket, she glanced between the two again. Before she could say anything, though, the door clicked open again.

This time it was Headmaster Ozpin stepping through. The old professor looked worn, beaten even. For a long moment, no one spoke, as he and the woman called Salem stared at each other.

Finally, Salem broke the silence. "Ozpin. I can't imagine you offering to see me off."

The headmaster slowly drew himself up to his full height, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "...my presence has been deemed unnecessary for the rest of these deliberations, as I hold no official power within Vale. You must be pleased."

"Do not blame me for reaping what you sowed eighty years ago, Ozpin. You were the one who decided Beacon's headmaster would stand apart from Vale's council." Salem shrugged. "At the time, a laudably selfless gesture."

Eighty years ago? Ruby didn't dare voice the question, and took a slow, quiet step to the side. The tension in the air was so thick she didn't think Crescent Rose could have cut through it. Behind her, she could hear the rest of RWBY coming up the corridor, and she held up a hand to keep them from barging too close.

Salem let out a small sigh. "Walk with me, Ozpin. Please."

At first, he seemed as if he would refuse. But after a moment, Ozpin sighed as well, and fell into step a few feet to her side. Signum walked between them, two paces behind. Ruby made a few quick gestures, and Team RWBY formed up in a diamond around the three, with Blake on point. Ruby found herself next to the black-shrouded woman.

"I still do not trust you, Salem," Ozpin said. His cane punctuated his words with each tap on the ground.

"It does not matter, Ozpin. Our long game of shadows ended today, and I for one am heartened by seeing it go." Salem made a small gesture toward Signum, then toward Ruby herself. "The TSAB changes everything; has already changed everything. I see no reason to fight with you over the Maidens anymore, and the threat you pose to me personally has been… mitigated."

"Do you truly expect me to just… let this all go, Salem?"

"I do, because you can do nothing but." Salem shook her head. "Whatever support structures you have formed in the shadows are now severed, Ozpin. Your name is tainted by association, because of the very war that we have fought coming to light. Every word you speak to those in power will be viewed with suspicion, because they cannot afford to risk letting you win. You are the headmaster of Beacon now, and you are only that."

They stepped as a group out into the open, sun now low in the sky and staining the world with yellows and oranges. Ozpin remained silent, mulling over the words Salem had spoken. Down the stairs and across the docking ledge, the giant Nevermore stirred, beady red eyes opening to focus on them all.

Salem turned back toward him, even as the Nevermore's wing spread out once again to form a ramp for her. "I am tired, Ozpin. It is the dawn of a new age on Remnant, and I for one would like to usher it in without fighting ceaselessly with a man I once called friend."

* * *

It took the rest of the next day for the deliberations to come to a close, a happening actually accelerated by Salem's short presence. A great many worries and concerns, while not laid to rest, were at least eased by the Grimm Queen's seeming eagerness to see Remnant come to an accord with the TSAB.

Still, only a basic treaty and alliance had been signed between the TSAB and Remnant's nations; it would be up to each nation individually to forge trade agreements or make requests for aid, actions which once again would be made public for the others to be aware of.

Another note of importance was the arrival of a TSAB L-class cruiser making planetfall just after the end of the Vytal Summit. With the captain's permission, Ambassador Pullman had made the leaders of Remnant an offer that none in their right mind would refuse, which is why that evening, Vytal time, Ruby found herself and her team helping to escort the twenty-odd diplomats through the brightly lit hallways of the L-class cruiser Deva.

During the flight up through the atmosphere, she'd seen Lindy and the TSAB's ambassador talking quietly to each other. She had a suspicion why, and seeing Lindy leading the group through the Deva's corridors only cemented that suspicion.

Eventually, the admiral led them to a hatch labeled Port Forward, ushering them through when it opened. They found themselves in a relatively spacious, well appointed lounge, a long curved wall taking up an entire side of the chamber.

Lindy gestured for everyone to find places to stand, clearing her throat politely. "Ladies and Gentlemen. The Time Space Administrative Bureau thanks you all for allowing us this small indulgence." She turned, tapping at a control in the bulkhead next to her. A clang of unlocking bolts echoed through the chamber, and the long curved wall started rising. Light poured into the chamber, shadows withering away to nothing.

Hushed silence reigned as the wall finished retracting. Ruby couldn't stop herself, running forward to press her hands against the curving pane of glass that was revealed, and behind herself she could hear the delegates moving forward as well. Before her, a green and blue sphere swirled with white clouds hung magnificently in space.

"With no further ado," Lindy said, a pleased smile spreading her lips, "I present to you all; Remnant. Your world, the home that you have all fought and strived for." The sliver of night disappeared under their feet as the world slowly turned.

At the back of the crowd, Ruby could hear the tap of Ozpin's cane. The delegates had agreed to allow the old headmaster to join them; an extended olive branch after his controversial expulsion from the summit itself. He had accepted with all the grace he could muster.

"I've… dreamed of this moment," the old man said. He joined Ruby at the window, pressing his own hand against the glass. "Not in so many words, but… this, this is the one memory that I know has remained for all this time. It gladdens me to see it true."

One of the Deva's crewmembers had passed out glasses of champagne, slipping the last one into Ozpin's hand. He turned away from the view, looking at the world's leaders. "Our past, and more importantly, our future is before us all. To Remnant," he solemnly toasted, raising his glass high.


	46. Epilogue I

Author Note: The epilogue chapters are being written using a slightly different storytelling scheme. Each epilogue will cover a specific series of related events over the same rough period of time.

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Epilogue I - New Horizons

The world was grey. Thick clouds covered the sky from horizon to horizon, misting a drizzling pall of dampness and hiding the afternoon sun from sight, casting the landscape of short grass and grey stone markers in a ubiquitously dim, shadowless twilight.

Ruby shifted her feet, hunching her shoulders underneath her loaned terran-style black coat and adjusting her grip on the wide black umbrella sheltering them from the drizzle. Weiss was ever the picture of poise, wearing an elegantly simple black dress of her own, short hair tucked underneath a wide-brimmed black formal hat.

Black was _everywhere._ Over a hundred people were gathered amongst the marker stones, any sense of color drowned out and hidden by black coats, black suits, black dresses. There wasn't a hint of bright individuality to be seen- even their hair seemed washed out, and the mood was somber.

At the end of the short gravel path, a smaller group had assembled. Chrono stood between Aria and Lotte, and across from them stood Lindy, Hayate, and Leti Lowran. All six were wearing immaculate black dress uniforms, identical in their lack of insignia.

A caretaker opened the back of the long hatchback car, and three to a side they began rolling the mahogany coffin out of the vehicle. Securing their grips on the rails running down the sides of the coffin, they turned and carried the burden toward the gaping hole in the wet earth.

It didn't take long for the coffin to rest on the straps over the open grave, and the pallbearers stepped back to join the rest gathered around. Leti alone remained, standing at the head of the coffin. For a long moment there was silence, only broken by the rustle of the wind blowing over the hill the cemetery encompassed.

It was strange, Ruby couldn't help but think. It was one thing to want to remember the dead; her father had _bought_ the strip of land on the cliffside of Patch for Summer's cenotaph, after all. But to have such a large swath of land devoted solely for burying the dead seemed like such a waste of space. _But this isn't Remnant,_ she reminded herself. _Different cultures._

When Leti spoke, she used the local language. _English,_ Ruby's device translated, as the subtitles were scrolling across the contact lenses that hid her silver eyes behind drab brown. "Today, we say goodbye to a dear friend and stalwart ally. Gil Graham devoted his life to making the world safer and better for everyone possible. He spared no thought toward effort or expense, giving everything he could for those around him. He died as he lived, striving to save those he could despite the cost to himself."

Leti paused for a moment, collecting herself. "Today, we return Gil to the Earth from which he was born, and we give thanks for the better world that he has left behind. We can find comfort in the knowledge that Gil would not want us to squander our thoughts in worry and doubt.

"Even if the scales of eternal judgement find him wanting, he does not fear the wrath of an angry God. For we have lived in times where _we_ have found the gods wanting, and we are stronger for it."

There was a faint murmur from part of the crowd. None of the people near Ruby seemed to react; active TSAB members and retirees all, they understood the truth to Leti's words. But a large portion of the crowd were Earth natives who had no inkling of the life Gil Graham had led beyond his charitable donations, and might have found the words faintly offensive. The admiral was treading a dangerous line, she realized.

Leti continued, raising her voice the slightest bit, and the murmurs silenced. "' _Do what you must, when it must be done.'_ This is the creed Gil lived by, and these are the words by which he would want us to remember him." Leti hesitated again, wiping her eyes with a cloth handkerchief. "Goodbye, old friend."

* * *

"Mr. Torchwick! Are we still using Torchwick, or may I call you Roman now?"

The laboratory had become increasingly uncomfortable for Torchwick to visit, each time he'd been called in for an update on Neo's condition. It was a combination of things; the rock walls and hodgepodge of scientific equipment gave more and more the impression of a mad scientist's _lair,_ and he had long come to the realization that Jail Scaglietti was _not_ completely sane. Always present at the back of the lab was the _sustainment chamber_ that Neo floated passively inside, thankfully hidden behind a drape. _Most of the time._ And more than once he'd seen amalgams of mechanical components that he realized were fleshless robotic limbs; gleaming titanium bones and layers of what looked like tiny _fish scales. Titanium plating,_ the doctor had assured him when he'd poked at a scaled sheet. _Guaranteed to stop any infantry scale kinetic weapons for long enough._

 _Long enough for what?_ He'd asked, an eyebrow perked.

 _Long enough!_ Had been the enigmatic reply.

"I've been your guest for weeks," Torchwick replied after a moment of thought. "Am I still to call you _Doctor?"_

"Ah, respect it is then. Well then, Mr. Torchwick. You'll be most pleased to know that the genetic restructuring went through flawlessly, and the integration of her cybernetics is complete. Tissue regeneration has proceeded as expected, and I am happy to say that little Neopolitan is completely healed, biologically, and her hardware is operating at one hundred percent capacity." The doctor's grin faded slightly, becoming less manic and more normal. _Almost_ reassuring. "All that remains is to wake her and acclimate her to her modifications. Your presence will be… helpful."

Torchwick couldn't help but notice that there were others in the chamber as well; Tre and Nove, the two women who had saved him and Neo, as well as several more he'd only seen in passing. "And the… entourage?"

"I will not lie to you, this is the first time I have augmented a mature individual. She may react poorly at first, so it would be prudent to have contingencies in place, would it not? To put it simply, when I wake her, I will have her motive systems on lockdown. But, your Auras are powerful things, and I would not be surprised if she is able to move by muscle power alone." Jail raised a hand to forestall his worries. "So, yes, I have my daughters here to help _restrain_ her if she reacts poorly. Please, I do understand the importance of family. Your niece will be walking out of here when this is over, under her own power. That I assure you wholeheartedly."

Torchwick pursed his lips. "So she's going to wake up paralyzed."

"An unfortunate necessity, yes." Jail's smile faded completely.

"...okay then. What do I need to do?"

"Just… talk to her, Mr. Torchwick. Reassure her. The last thing she will remember is her possession by the Grimm, a most traumatic experience. She will be bewildered, disoriented, both by her augmentations and by the ease with which she accesses them." The doctor turned, and one of the others, the woman that was his near-twin, pulled a curtain aside.

Neo was lying on a gurney, clad in a hospital gown. She was whole and hale, without a single trace of her grievous injuries remaining. An IV bag fed into… what seemed to be a _port_ raised out of the skin of her forearm, and a thin cable ran from a nearby console up her side to disappear into her hair. Jail motioned for him to stand near the head of the gurney while he started typing into the console. "The data connection in her cranium is only necessary for the moment. Once she is awake and stable, I will sever the connection. The port will need to remain; firmware updates and the like, of course, but it will be hidden underneath her epidermis when not needed. Now then; she will rouse within moments."

Torchwick held his breath, watching. Neo's eyelids flickered, opened, then widened. Gold irises etched with hair-fine circuitry glanced around frantically, only stopping when he used the cane Jail had given him to tap her foot. Her eyes locked onto his own.

He forced a grin, reaching out to brush back a pink lock of hair. "Hey, Squirt. It's okay, you're okay."

A tiny, strangled whimper made its way out of her throat, and her fingers tightened around the sheets under her. She started to shake, rattling the frame of the gurney.

"Hey, hey. You're safe, we're both safe. It's okay, really." Torchwick let his grin turn into a real smile, and he risked giving her hand a squeeze. "Remember rule number four?"

Her trembling subsided over a long moment. The worry gripping Torchwick's heart faded when he saw the color of her eyes flicker to pink.

"That's right. We survive."

* * *

"Well, it's not the best time for a first impression, but what do you think of Earth?" Lindy passed Ruby a glass of juice as she settled in next to her.

The wake had passed without any real problems. A banquet hall in the capital city of London had been rented out for the occasion, catering for the dozens that remained after the funeral itself had finished. Ruby had spent the entirety of the time standing off to the side and listening to the mourners talk, her device allowing her to understand the flow of conversation even if she couldn't participate. Thankfully, few of the locals had tried to speak to her, and the few that did found Weiss distracting them away with charming small talk; the heiress had picked up enough English on the journey through Dimensional Space to hold a simple conversation on her own, and was able to come off as simply _foreign_ instead of alien.

Ruby managed a small smile to Lindy, giving a little shrug as well. "It's… strange. Almost like home, but there are a lot of little things that stand out as _different._ I have to keep reminding myself that there aren't any Grimm here."

"Too true, that." Lindy smiled, sipping her own glass of wine. Most of the Earthers had already left the catering hall, and the few that remained were fondly reminiscing about the old man with Aria and Lotte; the two familiars had been long ago accepted as Graham's adopted daughters by his local contemporaries, their ears and tails hidden by transformative magics. It meant for the time being, they could speak freely without fear of being overheard. "You'll find that to be a recurring theme whenever you visit a new civilized world. Every planetary culture is different, and it's important you learn how to be at ease with that."

"Which is why you brought Weiss and me along. It's a training mission." Ruby had figured that out when Lindy had first approached them with the offer to come to Earth.

"Correct. Which also technically means that you're being paid for this, but that's there and not here." Lindy glanced to the side, motioning, and after a moment Nanoha joined them. "The second part of this trip is a bit more informal; we'll be travelling to the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, specifically Uminari City, to visit Nanoha's family."

Nanoha nodded, smiling. "I was due some leave time at the end of our original mission anyways, so it'll work out nicely. You'll get to see another part of Earth for your cultural training, and I'll satisfy my vacation requirement. Everybody wins."

"Oh! Does that mean I'll get to visit your family's bakery?" Ruby's eyes widened; she could taste the treats Nanoha had prepared during their stay at Beacon.

"That and other things!"

* * *

The cloudy drizzle had strengthened to real rain, fat heavy drops splashing down into the streets to run in streams along the gutters. The venue's outdoor balcony was, thankfully, covered with an awning, which kept out the worst of it.

The door opened behind her, letting a gust of warmth flow out into the chill evening air. Leti didn't look, instead swirling the tumbler of whiskey in her hand and watching the amber liquid slosh. "Lockheed."

"Lowran." The admiral settled next to her on the balcony, resting his elbows on the railing to watch the rain sheet down.

"I'm surprised you were able to make the time to be here." She took a sip from her drink, barely feeling the burn of the alcohol in her throat. Half the bottle had already made its way past her lips over the course of the wake. "I'm surprised you cared."

"Uncalled for, Leti." Murano reached out to grab the bottle, refreshing his own glass. "Gil was a good man. We're all lessened without him."

Leti knocked back the rest of her drink, not quite slamming the tumbler against the railing as she blinked the tears from her eyes. Again. "I sent him to his death, Murano. I-"

"' _Do what you must, when it must be done.'_ You found a way to help them all, Leti. Gil wouldn't begrudge you that."

"I should have known! Gil's wanted to make amends ever since the Book, of course he'd take a suicide mission! The _Lady-"_ She caught herself mid word, squeezing her eyes shut. The alcohol was loosening her mouth far too much.

Lockheed sipped his whiskey, still staring out across the darkening city. "You're not supposed to know about that."

The realization chilled her gut, warring uncomfortably with the burn of the whiskey in her belly. "...you gave the order. _You_ launched the _Lady Midday."_

"I did."

"How- how could you-" Leti turned to stare at him. "Your _granddaughter_ was on the _Arthra,_ you told me that yourself!"

"She was." Murano sighed deeply. "Leti, there is a reason you're Resources Management and not Operations. You do good work there, and the Bureau is lucky to have a woman like you. But you get too attached to your friends and subordinates, and that attachment is an impediment when it comes to making the kinds of decisions I have to make.

"I have a duty to the TSAB above all else. Nothing can supercede that duty, even loyalty to family. If the Book of Darkness does go rogue again, it will _have_ to be stopped. One life, a dozen, even a hundred lives of friends and family don't matter in the face of that kind of threat. Sentra knows that risk, and when I offered to get her a transfer to another team she refused.

"So yes, I did order the launch of the _Lady Midday,_ both to protect the crew of the _Arthra_ from less rational decision makers and to be there if the unthinkable needed to be done. Gil and I saw eye to eye on that."

"' _Do what you must, when it must be done,'"_ Leti repeated, swallowing the bitter taste the words left in her mouth.

"You're a fine admiral, Leti. I wouldn't be surprised if you rise to the top of R&M in the coming years, and you'll have my full support. But you need to realize that some decisions must be made." Murano sighed again, checking the antique watch on his wrist. "As it stands, my window is over, and I need to be back at Starburst Station in two hours. We'll talk again."

Leti said nothing as he left, once again alone with the rain and her guilt.

* * *

Neo had always been fast.

A small, agile fighter, Neo had learned to fight with a certain style, an infuriating flair that focused on mobility and avoidance, goading her opponent into leaving openings in their increasing ire. She made a game of fighting, a show, as if she had an audience every bit as encompassing as a Vytal tournament match.

Now, as she sparred with one of the Doctor's daughters, a white-haired child-cyborg named Cinque, Torchwick was forced to admit that he could barely keep up even watching. The only thing that let him follow her motions was that he was already familiar with her fighting style; the two were moving so fast that the constant, soft-clang _crump_ of metal-backed flesh meeting was a continuous drumbeat.

" _Most_ impressive," Jail commented from his place next to Torchwick. "Even knowing little Neopolitan's advantages, I thought Cinque would have defeated her quite soundly. As it stands, I think that my daughter may be outmatched! Aura _is_ an amazing tool!"

"Speaking of… why _did_ you put Neo against your shortstack? She's used to fighting people taller than herself." Torchwick drummed his fingers against the rubber handle of his replacement cane, still watching the match.

"Oh, the reason is quite simple. Comparable hardware. Cinque is unique amongst her sisters because of her size, and her cybernetics have slightly different performance specifications than the rest. Neopolitan's own hardware is custom designed for her build, and Cinque's is the closest match. Which means," the floor shook as Neo finally took the lead, tripping Cinque and spiking her face first into the stone, "that despite Cinque's experience and familiarity with her own body, Neopolitan's Aura makes her both faster and stronger."

Cinque was already picking herself up off the ground, wiping at a bloody nose, but Uno stepped forward to call an end to the match. Neo bounced in place, ready for more.

Jail laughed heartily at Neo's exuberance even while he inspected Cinque's face, before giving the white-haired cyborg a fond pat on the head. "And so _eager!_ Fine, fine, between the two of you, you have convinced me. Tre! Would you care to show little Neopolitan how it's done?"

"Certainly." The tall, visibly muscular woman stepped out into the impromptu ring.

"Excellent! Let's make this a good, clean fight!" Jail clapped his hands, and the match started with a thunderclap of impacting limbs.

 _Dust,_ Torchwick thought, _I thought Cinque was fast._ The last match, he could see most of what was going on. This time, he didn't have a chance; Tre was a blue-and-purple blur of motion, and Neo kept ahead of her strikes by the skin of her teeth.

In the few, scant instances where they paused long enough to let Torchwick see their faces, he could see that Neo was getting irritated and annoyed by the larger woman. Tre's sheer speed kept Neo off guard, pushing her from feints and ploys to real, desperate dodges and parries.

A split second too slow; Tre's fist caught Neo in the belly from a low, sweeping arc, a ruinous roundhouse that propelled her across the floor to _shatter into thousands of-_

Neo appeared behind Tre before the illusion even finished scattering, slamming a fist into the woman's left kidney in a blow designed to put anyone on the ground, crippled by sheer agony.

Tre didn't even pause, and her clenched backhand caught Neo in the temple with a sound like a Dust-round impacting hardened plate. Neo dropped like a brick, Aura shattered from that single blow, and the impact of her face against the floor left a spiderweb of cracks through the stone.

"Neo!"

"Mm. Tre did not appreciate the cheap shot." Before Torchwick could move forward, Jail's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Please, Mr. Torchwick. Her head is made of sterner things now than simple earthly materials. This defeat, while embarrassing, will be a lasting lesson and nothing more."

Neo let out a tiny groan, lifting her head out of its own personal crater and flopping onto her back. Cinque offered her an ice pack and help sitting up.

"What lesson is that?" Torchwick found himself asking.

"That one would be a fool not to keep their best tricks to themselves. Additionally, it is a fool's errand to employ a pain strike on one who needs not feel pain."

* * *

The bright blue skies overhead and the modern architecture of Uminari City made Ruby feel like she'd been taken to yet another planet entirely, instead of simply jumping to a different part of Earth. _Midori-ya,_ as it was called, was a quaint little storefront nestled between two other stores in the commercial district of Uminari City. The denizens of the city itself were uniformly different from London as well, in both appearance and mannerisms.

She and Weiss stuck close to Lindy as they approached the little cafe's front door, following behind Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate. The _Wolkenritter_ were, surprisingly, nowhere to be seen, but Ruby had heard Vita say something about _old friends_ and _croquet_ and _being able to show her face again_ before she'd run off down the street and out of sight.

A little bell jingled when Nanoha pushed open the door, calling out a greeting. By the time Ruby and Weiss entered, the brunette had already been pulled into an embrace by an older woman; obviously her mother by her striking resemblance and familiarity. A purple haired girl Nanoha's age hugged her as well, before reaching out and yanking Fate into the growing scrum. Cheerful greetings passed between them, the translations scrolling by across Ruby's lenses.

"Who the hell are you?!" That one had been directed at _Ruby,_ and she started, turning to meet the green-eyed glare of an angry blonde girl. The girl switched her gaze between Ruby and Weiss, and seemingly more incensed, whirled to shout at Nanoha. "Hey! Who are these two? Did you blast them into the bedrock too?! What horrific crimes against reality did _they_ commit?!"

"W-what? What did I do! I didn't even do anything!" Too late Ruby realized the girl wouldn't understand Valean, but it was even more of a surprise when her storage device faithfully dictated her words in _Japanese._

The room went quiet, but instead of some form of condemnation for giving herself away, a few embarrassed laughs filled the air. Nanoha rubbed the back of her head, blushing. "Nya-haha… no Arisa, they didn't do anything wrong. They're friends from our latest deployment."

 _Oh. Oh! That means they already know about the TSAB._ The impending sense of doom faded away.

"But Nanoha _did_ blast Ruby through the floor of the training arena," Weiss remarked, her own device translating her words. "What, is that a _running theme_ for her?"

A _chorus_ of 'yes' answered her, and Nanoha ducked her head. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Given that our first meeting was you slapping the taste out of my mouth when we were _six,_ let alone how you finally convinced Fate to sit down and talk, I think we're all justified!"

" _I have been shot," Raising Heart_ quipped from around Nanoha's neck. More laughter erupted.

Lindy covered a giggle of her own, clearing her throat. "Girls, girls. Enough about Nanoha's chronic violent tendencies-"

"Hey!"

"-since after all, she does tend to direct them in the right places. Arisa, Suzuka, Momoko? Allow me to introduce Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. They're new contract mages, and were a great help in dealing with a situation on their homeworld. Ruby, Weiss? Arisa Bannings, Suzuka Tsukimura, and Momoko Takamachi." Lindy gestured to each person in kind, still smiling.

"Well, any friend of Nanoha's is a welcome sight in _Midori-ya._ Please, have a seat anywhere and I'll bring out something to enjoy!" Momoko smiled at them, gesturing toward the empty room. "We were just about to close, so I'll go ahead and flip the sign and we won't have to worry about being interrupted."

"I'll help!" Nanoha hurried behind the counter while the rest sat down at one of the larger tables.

Ruby managed a smile at the two native girls. "So, uhm. You two have known Nanoha since you were six?"

"Mm!" Suzuka smiled back at her. "We went to school together."

"...Nanoha took offense to me picking on Suzuka and did something about it," Arisa grumbled, but Ruby could tell she was just pretending to be angry. "We've all been best friends since."

"I've known them since we were nine," Fate murmured, "but Arisa and Suzuka have been nothing but welcoming to me. I'm forever grateful."

"Same for me," Hayate chirped, grinning. "They're the best friends a little handicapped girl could have asked for!"

They were interrupted by a _glorious_ chocolate cake being set down in the middle of the table, serving plates being passed along. "On the house," Momoko smiled again. "Welcome to our little part of Earth!"

* * *

"Well, Mr. Torchwick. I am pleased to say that Neopolitan has adapted quite well to her circumstances. All that remains for your release is to discuss my requests."

 _And there it is,_ Torchwick sighed to himself. _I figured this was all too good to be true. One leash for another._ "I suppose it's not like I have a choice."

Jail looked slightly taken aback, but then he gave a small laugh. "Oh, but you do! Do not think me so _base_ as to have made you an offer you cannot refuse. Simply having the opportunity to… _help_ your niece is reward enough. I have learned a great deal about your world's Aura, let alone the breakthroughs achieved in the course of the procedures themselves. Consider any _payments_ for her cybernetic conversion to have already been made in full."

That made Torchwick's eyebrows rise. "Well then. That is… surprisingly kind of you. Given my line of work, I was expecting a _catch."_

"No such thing, Mr. Torchwick. I am a man of _science._ Please, have a seat. Little Neopolitan will be along shortly- ah, there she is now."

Neo veritably skipped along to the table, giving Torchwick a nudge in the ribs as she passed. He grunted in surprise; his Aura had almost activated to ward off the impact. "Careful, squirt. You're stronger than you think now, remember?" Her apologetic pout mollified him, and he sat down next to her.

The doctor sat across from them, joined by Uno. "Well then. Regarding your release itself, you have several options. I am entirely willing and capable of returning you to Remnant, or to any TSAB world of your choice. The latter would take much planning on your part, though, as you would need to familiarize yourself with galactic society beforehand.

"More importantly, though, is the subject of Neo's _... upkeep._ In this you have two main options. You may remain in contact with me, assisting me in matters as needed, and I will happily perform any maintenance required. Or, you may return to the TSAB, as you had originally planned before the… situation which brought you to me happened. The TSAB, while not capable of _creating_ combat cyborgs, is fully capable of maintaining them when presented. In fact, the only other two in existence are already full members of the TSAB, with all the duties and advantages that come with it."

Torchwick and Neo traded a look. She tapped her fingers against the table, a rapid little drumbeat of thought, and he nodded back to her. "I'd be stupid to think they wouldn't ask questions about her cybernetics. They're going to want to know where they came from."

"So tell them the truth. I, in magnanimous generosity, saved your niece's life, because it was within my power to do so. Even if she had survived without my assistance, she would have been crippled for life; TSAB cybernetics would not be able to give her the quality of life she enjoyed previously, but mine can. You do not know where we are, and the fabrication of her cybernetics cannot be traced to a specific location. It harms me not at all to let the TSAB know of my efforts."

"But they'll know you had a hand on Remnant."

"I have a hand _everywhere,_ Mr. Torchwick. The TSAB's watchful eye is not so vigilant as to have caught me yet." He flashed a challenging grin.

"Do we have a little while to mull it over?" It wasn't a decision Torchwick wanted to make in haste, after all.

"But of course. Take all night, really. You are deciding your future, after all." Jail glanced to the side when Uno made a small motion, nodding. "But that brings me to the next matter, which is indeed a favor I would ask of you. You may decline, and I would not be offended, but I would ask that you hear me out first."

Neo shrugged, raising a hand palm up. _Go on,_ she seemed to say.

"This laboratory is home for both me and my daughters, as well as Zest and Lutecia whom you have seen in passing, but there is one other here who… is not adjusting so well. It's the location, I admit. Bare rock walls, and however advanced the lighting system may be, it is no substitute for the sun in the sky. Even I miss it at times."

"What do you want me to do, raise a kid for you?"

"Yes."

Torchwick leaned back in his chair, tilting his head. An uncharacteristic sober frown graced his features. "...I'm not exactly a contender for the Father of the Year award, here."

"But you are free and mobile, while I am not." Jail let out a sigh, and Torchwick couldn't quite tell if it was an act or not. "Uno and I have… discussed our future as well. The discovery of Remnant has changed a great many things, and the echoes of these changes will reverberate through galactic society for years to come. It is an opportunity to be at the forefront of discovery in ways that even I have never experienced before, but in order to take part I would have to put certain other projects on hold. This includes the project that the individual in question is necessary for, and I would not see her waste away inside these closed corridors while I pursue other matters. A waste of resources, to put it plainly."

"Is she a… combat cyborg, like your daughters?" Torchwick glanced over his shoulder at Tre's form, half-hidden in shadow.

"What? No no, not possible. Perfected biology, rejects the implants. It was hard enough getting her to gestate with arms!" Jail grinned for a moment at some private joke, then let the smile fade as he nodded. "As it stands, I can provide additional memory imprinting to give her the knowledge necessary to be _useful_ to you, perhaps a few minor adjustments so that she isn't a burden. But this is a… request, from one father to- well, not another _father,_ but one who has reared a child most successfully."

Torchwick glanced at Neo again. She hesitated, then shrugged, and mimed as though she was ruffling a shorter person's hair. "...well, shit. Neo always wanted a little sister. I don't suppose it would hurt to meet the girl. No promises, though."

"Excellent! _Most_ excellent!" Jail rose from his seat, gesturing toward the door. "This way, if you'll please."


	47. Epilogue II

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Epilogue II - Old Horizons

Despite the widespread damage that Vale had suffered during the Grimm assault and the earthquakes from the Jormungand's emergence, loss of life had been kept to a surprising minimum. Most of the fighting had been kept to the city's perimeter walls, and what few Grimm had managed to enter or manifest inside the city proper were handled by Vale's interior defenders and choice deployment of individual mages. While the earthquake itself had cause immeasurable damage to the city's infrastructure, the civilian population had survived almost unscathed inside heavily reinforced bunkers and holdouts.

The White Fang assault a scant week earlier had seen more civilians dead.

The aftermath of the Defense of Vale proved to be more of a threat to the inhabitants of the city-kingdom more than the Grimm had been, in the end. The electrical grid was damaged throughout the city, leaving millions without power or easy access to clean water. Vale's emergency response teams were tasked to ineffectiveness by the sheer scope of the disaster. The kingdom was suffering a humanitarian crisis the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Great War.

The other kingdoms came to Vale's aid, once the CCTS network was brought back online and the crisis became apparent to the world. Relief airships filled to the brim with emergency supplies and volunteers began to arrive; first in small groups escorted by what defenses Vacuo and Mistral could scrounge up. But as the days wore on greater numbers arrived in force, flotillas of cargo vessels of all makes and models escorted by Atlas' own military vessels, regardless of origin. The city's parks and parking lots became home to sprawling tent cities, as both Vale's citizens and the arriving volunteers found more and more of the city's structures to be too hazardous to inhabit.

Two weeks after the Defense of Vale, after the first treaties were signed at the Vytal Summit, TSAB relief ships started arriving in orbit, laden with their own efforts. People stood in droves, watching as the shining vessels descended from orbit, wards flaring blue against the heat of reentry.

* * *

A testing site had been chosen within Vales limits, inside the commercial district that had been destroyed by the White Fang. Specifically, a shopping mall complex that had been gutted by explosions and gunfire, half-collapsed and already marked for demolition. Spectators and news crews watched from a safe distance as a team of contractors from Mid-Childa proper finished what the Fang had started; pummeling the buildings down to their foundations with carefully applied bombardment magics. That task completed, bulldozers and front-end loaders worked the ground level, at which point a Mid-Childan construction ship moved in to hover over the site.

TSAB disaster response doctrine made heavy usage of dimensional storage technologies. With the ground prepared, a second team of TSAB engineers marked off sections of ground, and the construction ship simply disgorged its stored cargo; prefabricated living quarters complete with exterior connections for utilities. Where a defunct shopping mall had stood that morning, by nightfall the first groups of civilians were sleeping in spartan, but functional shelters. What would have taken days, if not weeks of effort using normal methods was finished in a single working shift.

The success of that trial construction opened the way for dozens of similar efforts across the entire city. The ramshackle tent towns were replaced almost as quickly as they had appeared, and Vale's own workers and their plethora of volunteers from across the world were able to focus their efforts on other necessities, bringing power and water back to the population.

Perhaps the greatest surprise, though, was when an Atlas transport ship landed at one of the impromptu airfields to disgorge hundreds of faunus from Menagerie, led by none other than Ghira Belladonna himself. _We may not have the raw resources of the kingdoms, but skilled labor we can provide, and so provide it we will,_ he said when asked.

* * *

A month after the Defense of Vale saw a kingdom not reborn, but well on the way to recovery. Gaping holes in the skyline of the city were still obvious where previously stood tall buildings, but the _mood_ of the populace couldn't have been higher given the circumstances.

 _Stronger together_ seemed to be understood by all.

At the outskirts, the cracked and worn wall was still manned by the city's defenders. The Grimm had started to trickle out of the forests again, but nothing more than would be expected in normal times. Teams of huntsmen ventured out into the trees, taking the fight to their ever present foe and beating them back on all fronts, sometimes accompanied by TSAB mages for the purpose of familiarization and seasoning.

As the weeks passed, the reconstruction efforts slowed down, changing from disaster relief to improvement of existing infrastructure. Many of the volunteers from across Remnant packed their things and left for home, their efforts no longer needed.

Beacon Academy, while not completely ignored during the hectic period of relief, had not received nearly as much attention as Vale proper. After two months of hard work around the city, though, effort could be spared to finally clean up the campus itself. The remains of the fallen CCTS tower were removed piece by piece, Atlesian engineers pouring over each component recovered to determine what could be salvaged and what was simply scrap. In the end, over half of the campus had to be demolished, a task that took even Mid-childan methods several days to complete.

The stricken hulk of the _Arthra,_ further damaged by her impact against the hangar floor, was moved by giant cranes so that the hull and interior compartments could receive simple repairs. A permanent resting place was installed over the remaining foundation of the CCTS tower, and the shell of the old cruiser was moved in much the same way that it had been brought to Vale in the first place.

The gaping holes in the _Arthra's_ hull and structure were sealed over and repaired, but the superficial scoring and burns from the ship's plummeting reentry were left for all to see.

 _Let the people know the desperation and perseverance both._

Firmly secured in her new resting place, new equipment was moved into the _Arthra's_ empty shell. Dust generators and communications equipment, an amalgam of TSAB and Remnant sciences allowing the vessel to provide her new function despite her lack of elevation; making full use of dimensional storage, the bow primary mount of the _Arthra_ contained Vale's new CCTS system. In a small commemoration held by Vale's council and respected delegates from the other kingdoms, the _Arthra_ took over the task that the _Ifrit_ had been providing for the last two months, a permanent addition to Beacon's rebuilding image.

Construction in the rest of the ship went quickly; the bridge, no longer needed as a true command and control center, was converted into a new office for Headmaster Ozpin, with holographic arrays along the curving walls providing him almost as good of a view as his old office in the tower did. Barracks and storage facilities were refitted into viewing galleries and interactive classrooms, centers for learning and remembering. A week later, the _Arthra_ was fully recommissioned as Remnant's First Contact Museum.

On opening day, at a certain white-haired specialist's quiet insistence, Lieutenant Commander Sentra Lockheed was given the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

* * *

"Dropping into normal space in five. Four. Three."

A moment later, the _Deva_ pushed through the barrier separating dimensions, and Remnant appeared on the forward screen. Text superimposed itself on the image, labeling the names and positions of a dozen vessels in orbit around the planet; civilian haulers and construction ships, a science vessel, two small patrol cutters, and dwarfing them all the _Ifrit_ herself.

"So many space ships! What are they all doing?" Ruby would have pressed herself against the screen if it had been an actual window, but she knew she'd just fall right through the holographic display if she tried.

That had been embarrassing the first time.

"It would appear that GalTech Incorporated won the bidding war to work on Remnant's satellite infrastructure," Lindy mused, pointing to a pair of ships on the display and squinting at the text. "They're placing the last commsat."

"Oh! Those are to supplement the CCTS network, right? I was reading about that on the flight out to Earth."

"That's correct. It's only a first step, though. A lot of hardware improvements will have to be made on the surface to take full advantage of it." Weiss had joined Ruby, though she had a holoscreen up from her own device. "So don't throw away your scroll yet, you're still going to need it for years to come."

"I won't, don't worry! But what about that round one?"

Lindy supplied the answer for that. "That's the _Minerva,_ a TSAB research ship. I believe they're doing a deep scan of Remnant's moon. It's a marvel of its own, in that it has remained in that shattered yet cohesive state for so long. It _should_ have either dispersed into a ring system or pulled itself together with it's own gravity by now."

Pulling into a proper orbit didn't take long, and a transatmospheric shuttle drifted over to dock with them. Within half an hour they were descending toward Vale.

* * *

The end of the semester came just a few days later. Classes had resumed for Beacon as soon as feasibly possible, though in place of classrooms and dormitories the Academy had rented a disused industrial park that had been spared the worst of the damage from the battle for Vale. Ruby and Weiss had been given enough study material to see them through the month-long mission, and with no small amount of pride Ruby turned in her completed workbooks and essays to her professors. She even earned a bit of extra credit with Doctor Oobleck by gifting him with a series of world history books from Earth, though he would need assistance translating the foreign text.

Two weeks after the end of classes, a period of time filled with frenzied relaxation and strenuous training both, the Vytal Colosseum drifted in over the horizon, escorted by a flotilla of Atlesian cruisers and the L-class cruiser _Deva._

* * *

"-and with no further ado, it is time to begin the fortieth semiannual Vytal Festival!" Professor Port's voice boomed out through the announcement system, full of boisterous cheer and bravado. "As you are all likely aware by now, this festival marks a new age on Remnant! A new age of prosperity, an age of discovery! For now we all know that we are not alone on our world, that there are other worlds out there with people just like us! And as a grand gesture of friendship and comradery, the Time Space Administrative Bureau will not just be witnessing our festivities, but participating in grand exhibition with us!"

Four figures stepped out into the arena spotlight, resplendent in lightly-armored finery and heavy plate. "I introduce to you their chosen warriors for this event, a four man team known across worlds for their prowess! Signum, Vita, Zafira, and Shamal, the knightly order called the _Wolkenritter!_ Masters of weapons and battle, they will represent the TSAB in this first exhibition match!"

Sitting in the stands, in the very front row of the Vale-specific section, Ruby barely managed to keep herself from screaming in glee. "This is going to be amazing! We never got the chance to see them all fighting together like this, right?" The four knights saluted the crowd packing the stadium seats, and thousands of voices yelling their approval felt like a shockwave. "I wonder who they're going to fight!"

"It's not like we won't find out in just another moment." Blake shook her head in mild amusement.

"I know, but I want to know _now!_ Everyone's been really hush-hush about it." Ruby pouted, crossing her arms.

Professor Port's voice boomed out again, and the crowd quieted. "And if you'll turn your attention to the other side of the field, you'll see the Huntsman team that has graciously accepted the esteemed offer to be our contestants! Graduating eighteen years ago from our own Beacon Academy, the team that held top honors through all four years of their time at Beacon!" Another spotlight snapped on, illuminating four figures at the opposite end of the field. "It is my utmost pleasure to introduce none other than Team STRQ!"

Ruby almost dropped her bucket of popcorn. "W-wha- really?! We get to see- oh this is going to be _awesome!"_

Beside her, Yang jumped to her feet and screamed out across the arena, hands cupped around her mouth. "GO GET 'EM, DAD!"

Once the crowd had settled again, Doctor Oobleck took over the announcing. "Now the rules! This will be a two-part exhibition match; in the first round, the _Wolkenritter_ will be fighting as we do, using Aura and their own physical combat skill! Aura percentages will be displayed on the arena screen, and the standard rules will apply. Contestants will be disqualified by either reaching fifteen percent of Aura or by touching down out of bounds.

"The second match, after a short intermission to allow for recovery of any lost Aura, the _Wolkenritter_ will instead demonstrate their magic in combat! Their innermost defense, in common terms called a _Barrier Jacket,_ will be linked to our displays in much the same way as Aura. Contestants, take your positions in your respective starting boxes, and we will randomize the terrain!"

A rock-strewn tundra phased into being on STRQ's side of the arena, and the _Wolkenritter_ found themselves standing in a burnt forest, smoldering stumps underneath the shadows of scattered fire-scarred trees. The countdown started from ten, both teams taking the time to scope out the battlefield for advantages.

The instant the timer hit zero, both teams scattered. The chatter of gunfire erupted as Zafira started laying down bursts toward STRQ, while next to him Signum stood tall and loosed pinpoint accurate arrows.

* * *

"AND THEY'RE OFF! Team TSAB is taking brutal advantage of their ranged ability; Team STRQ only has Qrow Branwen's shotgun against Signum's bow and Zafira's rifle, an unfortunate imbalance which means they'll need to close in quickly while sticking to cover. But, Team STRQ has decades of experience with their chosen combat style, and I'm certain we'll see the tables turn-"

" _Immediately,_ asamatteroffact! Summer Rose's Storm Semblance is both a visual and physical barrier, providing that much needed cover for her team to move in! It seems this match will not be kept at range at all- and there it is! Vita Yagami, the _bruiser_ of Team TSAB, has met Raven Branwen in open combat! Look at that, _lookatit!_ The wind and the mountain, _rightinfrontofus!"_

"Indeed! Ludicrous speed against raw power indeed! But look to the side, here comes Taiyang in a perfect flanking maneuver; teamwork at its finest, letting Raven disengage to take the fight to Zafira and get his assault rifle out of the game! And Qrow seems to have singled out Signum, sword against sword! And in the center we have Shamal and her wire whips facing off with Summer's vicious chain sickles! You wouldn't even think that the leader of Team STRQ is fighting blind by watching her!"

"It would seem that Team TSAB has a mild disadvantage, as only Signum has discovered her Semblance during their time here on Remnant! But they are giving as good as they get! What a performance on all sides!"

"WHAT A HIT! A hammer blow like that would have felled a _goliath,_ but Vita is about to learn just what happens when you hit Taiyang Xiao Long as hard as you can! _HE HITS BACK!"_

" _Andthereshegoes!_ Vita's Aura may still be at fifty percent, but the forcefield protecting the stands is out of bounds! Team TSAB suffers their first loss, but- _didyouseethat?!_ Zafira _threw_ his rifle, clobbering Taiyang in the head and putting him at fourteen percent! We're three against three now!"

"A most impressive throw! I don't think I could have done better myself. And there's the teamwork again, but on the other side! Signum has _\- yes!_ She's taking on the Branwen siblings two-on-one, letting Zafira and Shamal pummel Summer between them. Such _confidence_ from the leader of the _Wolkenritter!_ She's using her sheath now, a weapon in each hand!"

" _AndSummergoesdown!_ But she cost her opponents dearly in that final stand; between her weapons and her Storm's cutting petals, both Shamal and Zafira are under twenty percent- one good hit would take either out of the battle-"

"And Team STRQ's puissant flanker takes the chance! A moment is all she needs to dive back into a portal, and Qrow gave it to her! Shamal is dow- Shamal and Zafira are both down! She appeared right between them and showed that her own scabbard is quite the bludgeon as well!"

"We're one on two! Can Signum's skill with the sword bring her to victory against the Branwens? Sword against swords- No! Sword against sword and _scythe! Qrow's pulledoutallthestops!"_

"Murder in Flight, their teamwork is called! And we're seeing it in action now! The way they work together, you wouldn't even realize how much they bickered at the lunch table. That reminds me of a time, back when I was a graduate assistant here at Beacon-"

" _Notthetime, Peter!_ Shifting to scythe form gives Qrow a reach advantage, but he trades the defense offered by a proper broadsword… _andSignumpunisheshimforit!_ Qrow is down!"

"BUT RAVEN CAPITALIZES! _Dust,_ what a finish! And I mean that literally, she just detonated a Burn blade, sending Signum sprawling! Team TSAB is down! WHAT A MATCH!"

* * *

Of all the things to dread, boredom had never before been on her list. To be fair, very few things had been for a long time. Injury meant nothing, pain was fleeting. Death would eventually come to all, but she had long come to the conclusion that her death would be a pyre known across kingdoms. Fear itself drew the Grimm, but she had exorcised fear from her mind even before Salem had ever found her. Even incarceration would ever have been a temporary inconvenience, she'd believed. Anyone foolish enough to put her in a cell would find her power too much to contain.

But now, she was both incarcerated and powerless. Her Aura bound away deep inside, the Fall Mantle silent as burnt out ashes. Cinder was _bored._

The Time Space Administrative Bureau, whoever they really were, did not do half measures.

They were not, however, cruel. She had books… of a sort, at least. A small datapad, similar to a scroll, containing a myriad of small-minded fiction and simple games with which to whittle away the hours. Food and drink whenever she asked, within reason. Even now, she had a cup of distilled water in her hand.

She even had a display built into the wall of her cell, linked to the CCTS system to give her access to public network streams. Public network streams that, as of now, showed nothing but coverage of the Vytal Festival.

The TSAB may not have been cruel, but they seemed to understand _irony_ very well. She could begrudgingly respect that, even as she hated it.

On the screen, the intermission between Team STRQ and Team TSAB's exhibition matches came to a close. The first match had been entertaining, she had to admit to herself. There was a reason she'd evaded Qrow Branwen's attentions for so long, and she wasn't so proud as to think that she'd have been able to fight them together. _Still… I thought Summer Rose was dead._

" _-as we stated before,"_ Peter Port's boisterous voice boomed through the speaker, " _this second match will see Team TSAB fighting as mages, using the Ancient Belkan method of spellcasting! We'll see how Team STRQ manages against them when dealing with this new and esoteric method of combat!"_

" _Alltootrue, Peter! But Team STRQ has a trump card of their own, and we'll see it this match!"_

The camera angled in on STRQ, focusing on Summer Rose's blindfolded face. She reached up to remove the blindfold, and silver-white light poured forth from her revealed eyes.

Cinder dropped her cup of water, spilling it over the cell's floor.

" _That's right, Bart! In this time of magic come alive, it's been revealed that Remnant has some true magic of its own! The Seasonal Maidens of fabled myth, revealed as truth! And our own Summer Rose is none other than the Maiden of Winter!"_

" _Our contestants are ready! Are_ you _ready, viewers? Match two… fight!"_

* * *

The second match ended as expected, with Team TSAB defeating Team STRQ in a no-holds-barred battle of might against magic. Team STRQ gave it their all, and the _Wolkenritter_ didn't emerge unscathed. Summer's maiden powers hadn't managed to level the field completely; nowhere near in fact, but she'd been able to provide the chance to take Signum herself out of the fight before Shamal overpowered and bound her.

The fact that damage to a mage's barrier jacket was apparent was a bit of a shock to the average viewer, even moreso when a particularly vicious blow from Qrow had sundered Zafira's gauntlet and drawn blood; visible injury was not a common sight in spectated matches. Shocked reactions settled though when Zafira's stoicism held strong, though, and Shamal made a show of healing the wound flawlessly with a wave of her hand.

After another lengthy intermission filled with a series of interviews between Lisa Lavender and Teams STRQ and TSAB, the student matches began in earnest. RWBY and JNPR represented solidly for Beacon, displaying the rampant improvement in their own combat ability thanks to their months of tutelage under the _Wolkenritter._ Both teams made it through the Team and Doubles rounds without a single loss from Aura or ring out.

A new facet of the Vytal Tournament, never attempted before, was a lengthy gap of time between each tier of matches in which volunteer student teams deployed to the Emerald Forest to demonstrate their skill in the epitome of the huntsman profession; taking the fight to the Grimm. Quoting the advances in communication and intelligence gathering brought on by the Vytal Summit and the TSAB's eagerness to work with Remnant, locations of Grimm concentrations were scouted out for the student teams to hunt, caught on camera by drone cameras and mage teams flying escort. Purely for sport and showmanship, the Grimm hunts didn't reflect on a team's place in the tournament proper, but allowed for prestige of a completely different sort. Teams RWBY and JNPR were conspicuously absent from the Grimm trials, instead watching the feeds from the Amity stands and cheering with the rest of the crowds for the fighting students.

The singles round of the tournament went as everyone came to expect, culminating in a knock down, drag out brawl between Pyrrha Nikos and Yang Xiao Long. In the end, the four time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament earned another championship, and the top honors of the Vytal Tournament for Team JNPR.

* * *

In a small idyllic town, a young blonde girl chewed through her mid-morning snack of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes, one eye on the scroll and the other on her homework. After the first few matches, the noise and uproar over one Jaune Arc participating in the _Vytal Tournament_ had finally run its course through the Arc household.

A flash of red caught her eye- Pyrrha Nikos won, as expected. But then her brother ran out and... "...MOOOOM!"

"Don't shout in the house, sweetie!" Her mother yelled back, just as loud.

"Jaune's girlfriend just won the Vytal Tournament!"

"That's ni- What?!"

Her mother rushed back into the living room just in time to see her son dip his partner and kiss her like she was the only woman in the world.

On worldwide broadcast.

* * *

" _That was an absolutely stunning conclusion to the Vytal Tournament! But don't get up just yet, as we have one last exhibition match! Don't we, Bart?"_

" _Yeswedoindeed, Peter! Ladies and Gentlemen, turn your eyes back to the arena and please welcome once again Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee! First Years they may be, but none can question their prowess after watching Team RWBY's performance this festival!"_

" _As you know, the Time Space Administrative Bureau has been quite vocal in their intent to bring their new magics and technologies to our world. But words without action are just that, and so the TSAB wants to prove their intent with deeds, which they have indeed been doing! In further demonstration of those efforts, Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee are here to show you what they've learned!"_

" _Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee! Toyourplaces, please!"_

Ruby _zipped_ to her starting box in a burst of rose petals, while across the field Weiss bounced across a series of white glyphs to her own box. The whole _world_ was watching, and they had to make it look good. Granted, the whole world had been watching all of RWBY's matches, but this was _different._

It was a rush, a heady feeling of adrenaline that had her leg bouncing underneath her even while standing still. Butterflies fluttered in her belly, but she found herself enjoying the sensation; not quite nervousness , not quite anxiety, but something close. It demanded _action._

Across the field, Weiss turned and sketched a curtsy to the audience. Ruby was quick to do the same. They'd practiced it in preparation, even.

Once more, Doctor Oobleck's voice boomed out through the colosseum. " _Combatants! When you're ready!"_ The crowd went deafeningly silent.

Ruby turned back to face her partner, fifty yards distant. Silver locked on ice blue, and they exchanged cheerful smiles.

"Red Like Roses," Ruby called out, raising her crimson-enameled card high.

"Snowblind!" Weiss nearly screamed, mirroring the motion with silver and blue.

" _SET UP!"_


	48. Epilogue Final

'Hazredous' Interruptions

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha / RWBY

Epilogue Final - Trials

"So how long does a Bureau trial take? Because we're still in the middle of the new semester and Professor Goodwitch says she won't be able to give us a pass on missing too much time anymore, and I know that criminal trials in Vale can take weeks if there's a lot of stuff to go over." Ruby had her scheduling book opened on a table, looking at her list of assignments coming due over the next month and trying hard to keep from sighing. Even the novelty of being in the TSAB's HQ station was offset by something as boring as _schoolwork,_ but it had to be done.

They'd been assigned a VIP suite to stay in for their time at TSAB Headquarters; spacious and comfortable, with four separate bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a large commons room to congregate in. She and Weiss were staying there with Jaune and Pyrrha, as representatives and witnesses from Teams RWBY and JNPR.

With all the visitors, though, it was almost cramped. Chrono, Fate, and Lindy were sitting at the coffee table, Signum leaned against one of the walls, and Headmaster Ozpin was there as well, instead of staying in his own apartment the next door over. On the back wall, a mounted holo-display was showing a view of the courtroom, as various individuals took their seats.

"TSAB tribunals tend to go quickly," Lindy replied, stirring her tea with a plastic spoon. "There is no jury, just the panel of three selected admirals to render judgement on the accused once both the prosecution and defense rest. In my opinion, the case is pretty cut and dry."

"Nothing is ever cut and dry," Chrono muttered, "especially not the travesty this is going to become."

"So cynical, this son of mine."

"I'm being realistic, mother." Chrono shook his head. "In the long run, what matters isn't that Cinder's going to be punished. The reason this is important is that Remnant as an Administered World is _allowing_ the Bureau to try Fall according to TSAB law. It's a token gesture, political currency."

"But she needs to be punished, right? She can't get away with everything she did!" Ruby frowned at the holo-display. Cinder Fall was being led in under escort, a uniformed enforcer on each side.

Pyrrha glowered at the screen, crossing her arms. "As much trouble as we went through to bring her in alive, she'd better not."

Jaune wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze. "As much trouble as _you_ went through, you mean."

"And she's going to be, but the trial still needs to happen." Lindy nodded, and Ruby let out a breath of relief. "We can't dispense punishment without due process, or people will lose trust in the system. More importantly, the end goal of TSAB incarceration is _rehabilitation,_ if it's at all possible. If they're too dangerous they can't be let go, of course."

Weiss cleared her throat, setting down her coffee and gesturing toward the holo-display. "It's starting." She'd been silent most of the time, watching the pre-trial proceedings intently.

On the screen, a uniformed navy officer was standing. _"-date is recorded. Cinder Fall, you have been charged with the following counts; premeditated violation of sophont linker core possession, attempted violation of sophont linker core possession-"_

The list went on for a long moment, and Ruby found herself frowning again. "But- none of these charges are about the attacks on Vale!"

"Outside our jurisdiction. Local terrorism, manslaughter and murder, destruction of property, they're all local charges that are dealt with by a given administered world." Chrono nodded at the screen, absently tapping his fingers against his thigh. "Like we said, Remnant has more to gain politically by allowing the TSAB to extradite Fall for trial here."

 _"-do you understand the charges filed against you?"_

On the holoscreen, Cinder Fall rose to her feet. The orange jumpsuit did nothing for her appearance, but she still managed to show some measure of composure. The lights made her look paler than Ruby remembered, and her lack of makeup was almost jarring. _"I do."_

 _"Given your unfamiliarity with our judicial process, a public defender was assigned to your case. You have been given opportunity to meet with your public defender. Do you accept this assignment?"_

 _"I do."_

 _"The court recognizes J. Thaddius Maxwell as counsel for the defense."_

Chrono swore, putting down his tea. "Shit."

Lindy sat upright, narrowing her eyes. "Him. Of course."

Weiss looked between the two officers, tilting her head. "What about him?"

"Maxwell is _good_ at this. He's got an amazing track record for dimensional cases, always picks the muddiest ones to fight. He likes the _challenge_ of it more than anything, but he's not _cheap._ Usually people have to pay for his services." Chrono shook his head, mouth set in a grim line. "If he volunteered for this trial, he sees an angle that he can use."

 _"-reconvene at 1300 hours tomorrow. Enforcers, return the defendant to her confinement."_ The tap of the judge's gavel was the signal for everyone to stand and file out of the room.

"Well," Lindy sighed, clapping her hands once, "this just got a whole lot more interesting. "We'll start getting called to the witness stand tomorrow, for the prosecution's case. Just remember what we've told you, and keep your answers simple. Don't try to explain more than the prosecutor's question requires; he'll cover everything he needs."

"As it stands, it seems we have the rest of the day to ourselves." Ozpin rose from his seat, tapping his cane on the floor. "Lindy, I have heard mention of an observation deck overlooking the docking spars. Would you be so kind as to escort me there?"

"I'd be delighted to. There's a wonderful cafe there as well." The two left the room, already talking about inconsequential things.

In the silence that followed, Signum pushed off the wall and took a brief moment to stretch. "Arc, Nikos. With me."

The two students rose to their feet. "Training room?"

"Training room. I am satisfied with your martial progress, and it is time to begin your training in basic Belkan casting."

Jaune and Pyrrha traded a grin, and followed the knight out the door.

Ruby found herself alone in the room with Weiss and Chrono. She worked up a smile; her best one, this was _Chrono_ after all, and it took some doing to get through what he thought was his impenetrable exterior. "Chrono? Is there anything we can do while we wait?" Next to her, Weiss did her best to emulate her look, and Ruby was a little impressed.

Chrono glared at them both, and after a moment let out a sigh. "...let me get Aria and Lotte and we'll go to a training room."

"Yay!"

* * *

 _"I'll be blunt, Ms. Fall. You will be going to prison after this is over, and there's nothing anyone can do about that. The Bureau has everything they need to convict you and stand guiltless at the verdict."_

 _"Then why are we even having this conversation, Mr. Maxwell?"_

 _"Because while your fate is already certain, you do have a choice to make. Will you go quietly to your incarceration and be nothing more than minor footnote amongst hundreds and thousands of others, or will you make your name remembered as the impetus for sweeping change in the TSAB? You have done terrible things, but do you want that to be your only legacy? Or will your legacy be something better?"_

 _"Cut the bullshit, Maxwell. You want to use me for your own agenda, a tool in whatever your personal war is. Be blunt, like you said you were being."_

 _"Fine. As it stands you're the scapegoat and nothing more, don't you see? So I will wield your case as a weapon to start the sweeping changes that I believe need to happen. Let your fate mean something."_

 _"...So be it. At least you're being honest. Maybe if she'd been so forthcoming I wouldn't be in this situation."_

* * *

"He's turning this trial into a gods-damned _travesty."_ Chrono's words were as dark as his mood, hanging in the air like a cloud.

"Distasteful as it is to us, it's a novel approach to defending his client." Lindy sighed into her tea, staring at the green liquid before setting it down untouched. "If anything, I'm pleasantly surprised that he's keeping it completely impersonal."

"Impersonal. Right. He can't fault our actions during the crisis, so he's attacking TSAB doctrine directly. He's spitting into the face of eighty years of effort."

Another sigh forced its way past Lindy's lips, and she stared out the 'window' that the holodisplay was providing in the room. An L-class patrol cruiser was undergoing final docking procedures at the tip of one of the station's arms, drifting with slow and purposeful grace. "It's a sign of the times, Chrono. The TSAB is, in its own way, an empire. We do the best we can to remain hands off where we don't need to be involved, we leave unadministered worlds alone and let administered worlds govern themselves as much as we can. But there has always been a hard line where involvement is necessary, and that line hasn't changed since the Bureau's founding."

"Because we're dealing with _dimensional stability,_ not jaywalking!"

"Preaching to the choir, son of mine. But the last two decades have seen a shift in the minds of the populations, and for understandable reason. The definition of Lost Logia has remained the same, but our ability to comprehend what we discover is ever improving. Even you and I have been a part of it, in ways. For a traditionalist military family, we are surprisingly progressive in our methods and actions, even if you haven't realized it."

The glare Chrono gave her was legendary. "You're not telling me I should be _supporting_ him."

"Pfft. Of course not. You're an Enforcer, Chrono. You know how bad lost logia _can_ be, and you know that sometimes we have to step on toes to do our jobs. Hurt feelings are infinitely preferable to a dimensional disaster, and no one will ever convince me otherwise. But, _because_ of how well people like us have been doing our jobs, there are more and more people in the signatory worlds that don't understand how bad it can get because they've never seen it happen."

"You're saying Maxwell's not the problem, he's a symptom."

"In so many words. The Bureau's going to change as the years go by, Chrono. It has to, or it will become stagnant and die just like every empire before it. The Al Hazredians, the Belkans, anyone that came before them? They became complacent, became stagnant, and their fall paved the way for the next."

* * *

"Will the defendant please rise?"

Cinder rose slowly to her feet; not too slowly, she didn't want to show disdain for the proceedings, but she found herself actively fighting the sudden onset of anxiousness that was making her knees shake. Next to her, Maxwell stood as well, expression schooled into a neutral facade. He'd fought tooth and nail in the trial, turning what should have been a single day into a week of witness interviews and deliberations.

The speaking admiral regarded her silently for a long moment, then nodded, seeming satisfied. "This court finds you guilty on all charges and you are hereby sentenced to life in prison, with review for possibility of parole in ten years time. This court agrees with Counselor Maxwell's request, and you are to be remanded to the Ruwella Orbital Penal Colony for the duration of your sentence, barring punitive actions taken due to future behavior. Do you understand your sentencing?"

Cinder closed her eyes for a moment, hiding her grimace. Maxwell had warned her ahead of time, so it wasn't much of a surprise. _Better than I had expected, really._ "I understand."

"Counselor Maxwell. Due to the amount of… _effort_ that you have put forth in this trial, the court deems it necessary that you remain as Cinder Fall's point of contact from this point onward. If she finds reason to address this court in the future, she is to contact you."

"I accept this duty, Admiral."

"Bailiff, execute sentence. Cinder Fall is to be transported to Ruwella Orbital Penal Colony immediately. This court is adjourned."

The enforcer at her side gestured for her to move toward the exit. He didn't touch her, but it was very clear that she did not have a choice in the matter. Cinder pursed her lips, and moved as ordered.

* * *

"Well then. That, as they say, is that."

A slice of shepherd's pie was placed in front of her. Yasmine nodded slowly, waiting until Salem took her seat at the far end of the lengthy table; the grand hall's acoustics were such that a whisper could be heard from anywhere in the room, and they could speak easily despite the twenty feet between them. "It is. I do feel sorry for the girl, when it comes down to it. She tried so hard to please you."

"She did, and she did, despite all the anger toward me she carried. Thank you as well, for your efforts. I understand that you were granted amnesty for your trip to the witness stand, but it still must have been… unnerving, depending on their good faith to bring you back. How was it, being offworld?" A negligent flick of Salem's wrist turned off the scroll-display on the wall, silencing the feed of the emptying courtroom.

Yasmine took a bite of the pie, letting the flavor suffuse her tastebuds for a moment before swallowing and answering. "Terrifying. Amazing. Seeing Remnant below my feet, seeing the Bureau's own headquarter station, looking out the window at the… dimensional sea, they call it? I can understand the appeal. But I am glad to be home, as my place is here on Remnant." She cast a glance at one of the walls, as if looking through it to the now-inhabited living quarters of Salem's keep. "How are your guests?"

"Polite and inquisitive both. I admit it is… disconcerting, to be under so much scrutiny after a thousand years and more alone, but it is not entirely unwelcome. Their attempts to comprehend the Grimm are admirable, and they find the smallest scrap of new knowledge to be cause for celebration. It's been some time since I've been witness to such simple scientific excitement." Salem took a sip from a glass of wine, sighing appreciatively. "And they bring such thoughtful gifts; an offworld vintage, this."

"Kind of them. The fact remains that you are living under a microscope now. That can't be easy."

"Easy? No, not easy. But it is a new game, with new rules. They respect me, they understand that I am… dangerous, but I cannot help but acknowledge that they treat me as a knowledgeable peer, and not an overlord, when it comes to scientific pursuit. It is… a refreshing change of pace." Salem took another sip of wine. "I have to admit, it is engaging to be once more involved."

"What of Briar? I've heard nothing from her since the assault on Vale."

"Burned, in the figurative sense. I have given the TSAB all the information I have on her, and she cannot hide forever. When they find her, she will fight and die, and the mantle of Summer will move on to a new host. Whoever that host ends up being, I wish her the best, as such power is no longer a direct concern of ours."

* * *

"Team RWBY. Please, sit down, make yourselves comfortable." Headmaster Ozpin rose from his desk, gesturing to the sitting area off to the side of his office. The command deck of the _Arthra_ was bigger than his old office in the CCTS by at least double, allowing for a greater number of amenities inside.

"Thanks, Headmaster!" Ruby took a seat on one of the plush couches there with Weiss, while Blake and Yang occupied the next. Her sister sprawled out happily, resting her back against the arm of the couch and draping her legs over Blake's thighs, earning an insincere grumble from Weiss at the lack of decorum.

The headmaster took a moment in the nearby kitchenette, and brought over a pot of coffee and another of tea for them to enjoy. Taking his own seat at the end of the coffee table, he refreshed his own cup of coffee. "Thank you for making the time to meet with me during your summer vacation. I realize the new semester is only a few weeks away now, but there are opportunities that should be discussed before your schedules are finalized."

"What would those be, Headmaster?" Weiss set her tea down, giving him her full attention. Ruby was quick to follow suit, even managing to keep from spilling her coffee in her haste.

"I and the other academy headmasters have been in deliberations with the TSAB's training division since the Vytal Festival. Given the growing Bureau presence on Remnant, it seemed prudent to discuss further training opportunities for both their soldiers and our own huntsmen students. Two days ago, we finalized an accord, and I would like to offer you and Team JNPR the first chances at benefitting from this agreement."

Ruby glanced over at her teammates, giving a small nod to them to show her interest, which was quickly returned. "We're all ears, Headmaster!"

"To put it in simple terms, an exchange program. Technology share is happening at revolutionary speeds, but the actual exchange of personnel and manpower is proceeding a bit more slowly, for understandable reasons. To rectify this, the TSAB wishes to bring a number of huntsmen students to Mid-childa to participate in their military and mage training, while a number of Mid-childan military cadets are to come to our academies to officially enroll as huntsmen trainees. This exchange program will count as credit toward your education here, so upon graduation from TSAB training you will receive your full huntsmen credentials as well.

"Do not misunderstand, this will be _military_ training that you will undergo. Huntsman training and education, while strenuous, is still somewhat _civilian_ in method compared to what you can expect from TSAB… boot camp. Paradoxically, while military, there is an emphasis on _non-lethal_ combat methods that our own training methods sadly lack. But, I fully believe in your abilities to thrive in such an environment, and know that you will represent Beacon Academy quite successfully." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, eyeing the four of them over the rim of the mug before setting it back down. "You do not need to decide today, but I will need an answer soon."

It took Ruby a moment to blink away her wide-eyed stare, and longer still to find her voice. "Is… anyone else going to be, uhm. Going? From Beacon, I mean."

"Professor Goodwitch has volunteered to travel with whichever students will be participating in this exchange, to endure the same trials and to bring her own knowledge of our methods to Mid-childa. Her position here will be filled by Ms. Summer Rose, actually, as Professor Goodwitch is grooming our friend Maiden for the role of Beacon's own combat instructor. We will be in good hands here, I am confident in saying."

Weiss cleared her throat. "When does the next boot camp period on Mid-childa begin? I ask because I'm in… negotiations with several, ah… material and fabrications contractors-"

"Do not worry, Ms. Schnee. I am in the loop regarding your personal foray into advanced materials development. To be blunt, Lindy won't stop talking about it." Ozpin grinned at her sudden embarrassment, continuing. "It is a pleasure to have her here in an official status as the TSAB's diplomatic ambassador, but that is getting off topic. Needless to say, the hole in the world market caused by the SDC's sudden liquidation left a number of corporations reeling, but you have capitalized quite distinctly in the chaos. I look forward not only to the advances that will come, but the finished product."

"W-well!" Weiss crossed her arms with a huff, trying to ignore the looks the others were giving her. "I don't know what my father was thinking by wiring me my… share of the liquidations, but-"

"Wiring you your _share?"_ The words burst from Blake's mouth, piqued with shock and affront both. "Weiss, you owned _ten percent_ of the SDC- don't give me that look, it's _public knowledge!_ Is that why you keep disappearing? What have you been _doing?!"_

"I've been investing in infrastructure advancement, Blake! I didn't want to flaunt it! What if I got all your hopes up and then it all fell through?"

"Wait wait wait!" The gears were turning in Ruby's head, remembering all the times she'd seen Weiss vanish after checking her scroll, the stacks of indecipherable paperwork she kept locked in an armored filing cabinet in their dorm room. "H-how much did you… invest?"

Weiss' face was turning as red as Ruby's cloak, but she pulled out her scroll and set it on the desk, letting a holographic display bloom over the coffee table. "I've… been in talks with firms from the TSAB, thanks to Lindy, and… various construction and development corporations on Remnant that have gone bankrupt due to the economic upheavals following the TSAB's reveal to the world market. I've, well… made some… purchases…"

"...Arc of Heaven Airship Manufacturing? Weiss, you _bought Jaune's family business?"_ Yang didn't sound angry; in fact she was trying to keep from laughing.

"THEY WERE ABOUT TO FOLD! I'm keeping them in business!"

"Did you tell Jaune?" Yang's grin was threatening to split her face in two.

"...no? I should… probably do that, shouldn't I."

That did it. Yang fell of the couch, holding her stomach. Weiss huffed, trying to ignore the cackling blonde. "A-anyways! Yes, I bought Arc of Heaven. They're going to be _indispensable_ in the coming years."

Ruby scanned the list of names. Most of them were just names to her, but she was seeing something of a theme… "Those look like… mining companies? And _Red Steppes Ironworks_ is a steel fabricator, I bought the metal for _Crescent Rose's_ first blade from them…"

"Drydock Six. You bought Drydock Six." Blake's ears twisted back, then sprang upright as she made the connection. "You're not trying to make airships. You built a _starship_ construction company."

"...I- yes. I'm making headway into being Remnant's premier Dimensional Ship construction corporation. Dimensional grade hull materials, Dust stabilization research for usage outside Remnant's atmosphere. The only things we'll need to actually outsource for are Dimensional Sea drives and wards." Weiss cleared her throat, letting the silence draw on for a brief instant as she sipped her tea again. "You three have three percent shares in the corporation. So do the members of JNPR."

The headmaster cleared his throat in the shocked pause, interrupting what was going to be a cacophony of exclamations. "To answer your question, Ms. Schnee, the bootcamp period that Remnant's exchange students will be attending begins in two months. It should line up perfectly with your efforts. And, you will be pleased to know that the crew is already selected."

Three pairs of eyes swiveled to the headmaster, then back to Weiss. Her near-constant blush faded, replaced by pure satisfaction on her face. "Then… I made the correct call in rushing the production by procuring the hull materials from Mid-childa proper, despite the cost."

"I would say that you did indeed. If all goes according to schedule, and correct me if I'm wrong things are _ahead_ of schedule, your cruiser's maiden voyage will be transporting you all to Mid-childa. I have heard from… reliable sources, that the TSAB navy is looking forward to the first Maiden-class cruiser joining their ranks."

* * *

The manor was as quiet as it usually was, and the light of the morning sun filtered through the curtains in a diffuse glow. Not enough to make his office warm, but enough that he didn't bother with the lamp next to his chair.

 _All in all, a relaxing way to spend the morning._ Jacques flipped through the financial report, satisfied with the information inside. The final sales of SDC assets were going through with hardly a hitch. Upstart companies were sprouting like weeds in the wake of his decision, eager to gobble up the bits and pieces of his name's legacy, and the amount of Lien in his personal accounts was higher than it had ever been. The financial rumor mills were abound with speculation and praise, all of it revolving around his magnanimous decision to make SDC Dust technologies open-source and accessible to everyone.

Most of them, at least. There were still plenty of classified technologies and research he was keeping close to his chest. Technologies that offworld firms would pay top credit for. Still, as a last action it was a boost to his already famous family reputation, raising the name of Schnee ever higher in Remnant's perspective.

It would be more than enough to purchase a comfortable starting balance of TSAB credits.

The reports were placed into one of his suitcases, in perfect order with all the other paperwork already inside. The next folder he picked up held more personal interest to him.

 _Weiss._ Something had changed in the girl since she left for Beacon. Hardly more than half a year, and it had _shredded_ ten years of meticulous training and grooming.

 _A sunk cost. Dust already used._ She was unsalvageable as an heiress to his name, and so there was no further use dwelling over it. Giving the girl her share of the SDC's liquidation didn't harm him in the slightest, especially with how the Lien was sure to plummet in value with the TSAB credit entering the markets. It was an interesting thought exercise, predicting what she would do with her sudden and unstable fortune, and comparing it with what she actually did.

She'd tried to be subtle with her flurry of acquisitions, using a hastily-but-well-constructed network of front companies to purchase a plethora of failing businesses. A lesser businessman wouldn't have been able to follow her nearly as easily as he, but a paltry few ten-thousand Lien in the right hands gave him all the information he needed.

He had to admit he was intrigued by her money trail. Dust mining of course; even with the expected drop in value, Dust was sure to remain a staple of Remnant's economy for years to come. The world ran on Dust, and that would be slow to change, if ever. Ore mining and smelting, materials fabrications of metals and plastics and more. All businesses that would have remained stable in normal times, but not rigorous enough to survive the economic quakes following the TSAB's entrance. _It will take a firm hand to make them productive again, even if she bought them all for a pittance._

The purchase of the Vale-centric Arc of Heaven made him pause, sitting back in his chair to tap the back of his stylus against his lower lip. _Airships? That market is cornered, Weiss. You're not going to be able to make that venture profitable again. Remnant Transit Construction alone would be able to fill the gap, let alone the dozen competitors across the kingdoms. So why..._

It didn't make any sense from a business perspective, and ten years of _education_ would not be erased so quickly. She had to know her idea was doomed to fail. _Unless…_

Unless she knew something he didn't, or had contacts he was unaware of.

 _Think, Jacques. Her first semester wasn't so terrible; she at least responded by email even if she had refused to answer my phone calls._ It had to have been something after, something in her second semester.

The first _real_ hint of her straying had been that disastrous confrontation at Beacon after the White Fang attacked the city. Her only companion at the time had been that damnable wolf faunus that had shown up his men, the same one that had been the focus of the tabloid gossips. _Secret Schnee Warriors my ass,_ was the distasteful thought. At least the animal had shown the dignity to claim there was no connection between them.

 _What was his name…_ Jacques had to consult his scroll's audio recording of the argument for the answer. _Zafira Yagami._

It didn't take much searching on the network to find more information. 'Special Investigator Zafira Yagami of the Time Space Administrative Bureau.' _The wolfman is one of the spacemen from Mid-childa._ His first media sighting had actually been… from involvement in countering a small White Fang riot that occurred in Vale, weeks before the larger assault, and interviews with some of Beacon's students provided information that they had been enrolled in Beacon at the start of the semester.

The _Arthra,_ the damaged spaceship that had replaced the fallen Vale CCTS tower. Declassification of basic information showed that the ship had crashed in the wilderness outside Vale… two weeks before the semester started.

Weiss' sudden departure from expected behavior came from interaction with the _aliens._ Everything suddenly made _sense_ to him. _She'd been involved the entire time. She lived with them, knew them, learned about them. Who they were, where they came from._

 _Contacts. Contacts I was unaware of._

He flipped back to the reports of her activities, looking at them in a new light. Trying to put himself in her mindset, her _awareness_ of… people amongst the stars.

 _The stars. Weiss is not trying to salvage an empire on Remnant, she's building a foothold in space._

Pride, bittersweet in its taste. _My daughter is reaching for the stars, and I was too blind, too uninformed to see._

It only took a moment of internal debate to come to a decision. _Sentiment, perhaps, but I'll allow myself it this one time._ His finger stabbed down on the desk's intercom. "Klein. My office, now."

The response was gratifyingly immediate, as ever. _"Ah- right away, Mr. Schnee."_

Only a few moments passed before the expected knock at the door. "Enter."

The short, stocky butler opened the door, stepping through and standing as tall as he was able. "You wished to see me, Mr. Schnee?"

"Yes. Klein, I would like to make you an offer."

* * *

The noonday sun was bright in the sky as the limousine passed through the airport gates. Whitley had been silent, perusing the report on Weiss' purchases that Jacques had given him. The boy had a bit of catching up to do to really take his place as heir, but he was taking to the task with enthusiasm, so Jacques had felt it was a good time to test his progress. Given the prolific usage of front companies, her name was nowhere in the folder.

With a perfunctory slap of paper, Whitley closed the series of financial reports. "I've finished, Father."

"Good. Tell me what you think of this series of ventures. Extrapolate, even."

"Well, it's all obviously being moved by one hand. A... solid attempt at building a new business in airship construction, if we were in normal times. Purchasing all of these resource production companies now is expensive in the short term, but in the long term it means that all of one's materials can be produced in-house, instead of having to pay for additional shipping costs and markups."

"And in abnormal times?"

"We aren't going to see more abnormal times than now, are we? The TSAB changes everything. Markets are going to crash, others are going to thrive. Extremely unstable!" Whitley rubbed his chin in thought, mirroring the motion that Jacques himself would sometimes show. "I'd be hesitant to do the same, even with our net value. Far too risky, too many established competitors. But…."

"But? Go on."

"You're testing me again, I know! But… all of this is taking place in Vale, which is where the TSAB first started poking the lancer's nest, isn't it? Which means it's… a very real possibility that this individual is trying to make use of offworld resources to succeed. Importing would accomplish little, since that's just more money going out, but exporting…" Whitley's eyebrows rose, and he gave a little laugh. "Ah ha! Exporting _space_ ships! That's… that's _bold,_ Father!"

Jacques gave a proud nod, letting a smile twitch his moustache. "Excellent. What does this tell you about the person pursuing this idea?"

"They're very innovative. Willing to take risks for high reward, but hedging those risks with the contacts they've built." He crossed his arms, scoffing. "I couldn't see Weiss doing anything like this. She dropped the ball cutting ties with you, Father."

The look fell off Whitley's face when he saw the expression on Jacques'. "Perhaps you should be surprised. Perhaps we should both be surprised," he responded, handing Whitley a series of printed articles and tabloids he'd searched out. Information about the TSAB 'students' at Beacon, an edited transcript of Jacques' argument with Weiss, more than enough information for Whitley to piece it all together.

It took a few moments, but the inevitable conclusion made itself known on the boy's face. He looked back at Jacques wordlessly.

"Whitley. You are my son and my heir, and I believe you will do quite well in the coming years. But _because_ you are my son, you share the same blind spots that I do when it comes to those... _close_ to us." The limo came to a stop, and across the field was the shining spaceliner they were to board. "Let this be a lesson for us both as we move forward, as blindness will help neither of us on Mid-Childa."

* * *

"Can I… help you?" Yang found herself looking down at a balding pate when she'd answered the dorm room door.

"Yes, please. Is… Ms. Schnee in?" The short, stocky man was standing quite straight, looking up to meet her eyes.

She crossed her arms, letting her sleeveless shirt show off her guns and more. "Who's asking?"

"Ah, of course." Yang had to admit she was impressed; her cleavage was right at eye level and he didn't even flinch. "My name is Klein Seiben-"

 _"Klein?!"_ Weiss nearly ran into Yang's back, leaning on her as she peered around Yang at the man. "What in- what are you doing here?"

"Weiss, you know this guy?" Yang kept her place between them, but twisted around enough to glance down at her.

"I do! He's one of the staff at my father's manor. One of our- his longest employed butlers, to be specific." Weiss frowned; not in anger, but in clear confusion. "Which does beg the question of what you're doing here, Klein."

"Yes, about that…" The man cleared his throat, giving an uncertain smile. "Your father, ah… he gave me an offer, Weiss."

"An _offer."_

"A choice, specifically. Remain in service to the Schnee household, or three months severance pay and a paid ticket to Vale, no strings attached." Klein smoothed his moustache nervously, rocking back and forth on his feet. "I… accepted the offer as given, because the… unspoken words were that I would be free to offer my services to you, wherever your efforts take you."

"But- but _why?!"_ Weiss shook her head, and her grip on Yang's arm tightened a little. "Not that- I don't mean why did you accept, I- I _really_ appreciate you coming here, but… why would he _let you go?"_

"I can't tell you what he was thinking, but I can tell you what he said to me. He told me to tell you that he wishes you nothing but success. So!" Klein straightened again, tugging his jacket into place. "If you do have need of a butler who is already familiar with your lifestyle, I would like to apply for the position!"

* * *

The dedication and launch date of the _Four Seasons_ had been made public two weeks ago, the earliest time that Weiss was willing to disclose the sensitive information to the public. Security had been stepped up around the drydock in the time since, a joint force of TSAB forces, Atlesian soldiers, and Vale hunters making certain that no possible dissidents would be able to get anywhere near the nearly-complete cruiser. Dissidents were indeed an issue on Remnant; more than a few people had taken the world-altering political changes poorly, though thankfully none had been so vocal yet as to attempt violence.

Weiss had no qualms about making certain her company profited from the sudden surge of publicity. As the launch date approached, a great amount of effort had been put into place, filling the grounds outside the drydock with stands for thousands and thousands of people. Ticket sales for the event had brought in hundreds of thousands of Lien in what had seemed like moments, with each section of stands filled to capacity minutes after becoming available for purchase. The proceeds from the presales were immediately shunted back into the company, earmarked for further developments, constructions, and worker bonuses. _'Lien does no good sitting in a bank account collecting dust,'_ she'd told Ozpin once, and she'd meant it.

It was a bright and sunny morning in early Autumn, and Weiss was waiting in the wings of the stage that had been constructed a few hundred yards in front of the drydock's massive doors. People from across Remnant and more filled the stands to capacity, a throng of humanity larger than she'd ever seen gathered in one place. Even now, Ghira Belladonna was on the stage, speaking of the new university being built in Menagerie that was dedicated to advanced sciences. General Ironwood had already taken the podium earlier, speaking of the joint efforts that had taken place in the hangar behind them.

"Without further delay," Ghira announced, "it is my pleasure to give you all the CEO of Starmetal Fabrications Incorporated, Weiss Schnee!" He gestured toward her with one hand, then turned and offered her a bow as he relinquished the spotlight.

Despite the _wave_ of sounds from the crowd, the sharp _tap_ of Weiss' heels echoed across the grounds as she stepped to the podium, back straight and head held high. She took her place, resting her hands on the podium, then reached out to adjust the microphone more to her liking. She took a breath, and the crowd went silent.

"People of Remnant. Guests and colleagues from TSAB space. Thank you all for coming to this momentous occasion. It is my pleasure to have you all here today.

"Eighty years ago, our world fell into warfare, fighting for our very identities and souls. The Vytal Treaty put an end to that war, and in the time since we have moved forward. Our progress as a world has been tumultuous, not without further hurt and bloodshed. The Faunus Rights Revolution happened because once again, many found that which was different from the self was something to be feared, and a beleaguered people struggled to keep their place in the world. Even today, we as a collective people are not blameless." The crowd started to murmur, thousands of whispers becoming a low roar, and Weiss rose her voice to cut through the sound. "But, we can learn," she continued, "we _have_ learned, we have bettered ourselves, and we continue to move forward.

"Today is proof of that claim, that we can be better than our fears, more than our worries. Today is the culmination of efforts across Remnant, expertise brought to our world from the Time Space Administrative Bureau, and our own ingenuity and strength. Dust mined from the Vacuan deserts, steel forged in the Seven Steppes of Vale, materials from Mistral. Manpower and trained workmanship from Menagerie, the sciences of Atlas and the TSAB." She held up a hand, and behind her the massive doors of Drydock Six began to swing outward on giant hinges.

The prow of the ship caught the light of the morning sun, glinting fiercely. The huge cranes and braces rolled outward on wheels taller than a Paladin, revealing more and more of the lance-like silver hull. Built on the basic frame of an Atlesian air cruiser, but streamlined in ways such that it would never be mistaken for one. The crowd filling the vast stands was silent, awed by the revealing of the shining ship.

Weiss smiled, settling one hand on the bottle of distilled spirits resting near her hands. "The first Maiden-class cruiser, built by our hands here on Remnant. Our world's first foray into the galaxy, our first contribution to the defense and safety of people _everywhere,_ not just on this world we call home."

She turned, gripping the bottle by the neck and raising it up toward the gleaming bow fifty yards distant and overhead. A glyph of pure white formed around her hand, and she let go of the bottle; it hung in the air, suspended by her semblance's grasp. "In the name of Remnant and the Time Space Administrative Bureau, I dedicate thee _The_ _Four Seasons."_ The glyph darkened to black, and the bottle of alcohol shot forth like it was fired from a cannon, shattering across the ship's bow in a scintillating explosion of glass and clear spirits. "From this day onward, may you represent our unity of efforts in your every task."

She turned back to the crowd, smiling widely as the cheers erupted once more. She gave them the moment, letting the sound wash over her, then raised her hand for quiet. Extending her other hand to the side, she spoke again. "Captain Harlaown."

Chrono stepped forward from the wings, his dress uniform spotless and perfect. "Ms. Schnee."

"Do you accept the captaincy of _The_ _Four Seasons?"_

"I accept the captaincy of _The Four Seasons."_

Weiss nodded. "Is the selected crew prepared for launch?" Lindy had given her the crew list a month ago; the former crew of the _Arthra_ and the survivors of the crashed _Blue Two_ had been offered first choice, and had accepted the placement to a man.

"The crew is prepared, Ms. Schnee."

"Then take up your command, Captain Harlaown." Weiss stepped away from the podium to shake his hand, and her smile widened. "I would wish you safe voyage, but after all I'll be right there with you."

* * *

The launch of _The_ _Four Seasons_ went perfectly. Using a series of secondary Dust generators to provide power to the ward systems, the ship isolated itself from Remnant's ever-present interference field, and the main dimensional generator came online without a hitch. With primary power suffusing the cruiser's systems, the antigravity array had little issue lifting her from her birthplace.

Chrono had given her a VIP seat on the bridge as _The_ _Four Seasons_ rose through the atmosphere, along with the rest of RWBY and JNPR. It was an _effort_ to maintain her poise and not join Ruby in plastering herself against one of the armored viewports. Still, it was a fantastic place to be, listening to the bridge crew as they went through the motions.

Now, the viewports showed the riot of changing colors that was the Dimensional Sea, splashes of light arcing away from the ship's wards in bolts of lightning-like display. Weiss had retired to her cabin for the time being, allowing herself to enjoy a cup of coffee from the stash she'd brought for the trip. Her team was giving her the moment, having decided to check out the ship's training room, so the knock at the door gave her a small start.

Weiss straightened quickly, setting her cup on the coffee table and clearing her throat. "Enter!"

The door parted to reveal her sister, still wearing her Atlesian dress whites. "Weiss. May I come in?"

"Of course! How are you, Winter?" Weiss gestured to the chair opposite her own, twitching a sly smile. "Or should I say Executive Officer Schnee?"

Winter rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't _you_ start." She took the offered seat, and was quick to accept the cup of coffee Weiss poured for her. "I'm sorry I haven't had the time to visit earlier, sister."

"You've been busy, I know. When Lindy told me you'd accepted the XO position, I figured you'd have your hands full making sure the crew details were taken care of."

A pleased sigh issued from Winter's lips after she sipped the hot beverage, and she gave a slow nod. "Mixing chains of command is never simple, especially when they're from two radically different military structures. But everyone's confident in their positions, and any possible conflicts are smoothed over by the chance to serve on Remnant's first space cruiser." Setting the cup down, Winter fixed Weiss with a steady stare. "I am _impressed,_ Weiss."

"So am I! I really didn't believe it was all going to come together until- until I felt her lifting off under my feet, you know? It felt like a dream, and now we're on a _Remnant_ ship traveling to Mid-childa-"

"Your ship," Winter interrupted her.

"What? She's not _my_ ship, Winter."

"She's your ship in everything except name, Weiss. Ah- stop trying to digress and listen to me, sister mine."

Weiss closed her mouth, giving a little nod.

"Good. Weiss, six months ago Remnant was alone in the void. We were a disparate people trapped on a single world, warring with monsters and ourselves because we had no inkling of what more there was out there. Out _here,"_ Winter gestured out the porthole at the colors of the Dimensional Sea. "You were aware of it, along with the select few of your friends and a few more at Beacon, but your hands were tied. Four months ago the TSAB was revealed to the world at large, and in those four months you have achieved the _impossible."_

Weiss opened her mouth again, but Winter cut her off. "I'm not done. The impossible made manifest," Winter punctuated by stomping her foot on the deck beneath her. "We are traveling through space on _your_ dream, Weiss. _The Four Seasons,_ built by our hands in a scant four months time. It doesn't matter that your purchased materials and used plans from Mid-childa, the fact is that your drive, your _vision_ brought us to this point, from a world that six months ago didn't even know it was possible."

It was hardly as expansive as they seemed to think- and Weiss' words still stuck to her tongue. "B-but this isn't my _dream._ It's just- it's something I wanted to make happen, and..." She trailed off, looking down at her coffee.

"And the name Weiss Schnee is now known across-"

"Across _worlds,_ Ms. Schnee." Another voice interrupted them. Chrono stood in the open doorway, leaning against the frame. "People have been paying attention to you on Mid-childa. Remnant joined the TSAB at the Vytal Summit, but Weiss Schnee is the name that brought your world to space. You are _famous,_ and not as the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. You are famous because of _your_ efforts."

The summary struck her like a thunderbolt; she went rigid, the air squeezed from her lungs at the sheer _scale_. In the moment it had hardly seemed so impressive. A challenge here, a crisis there. Teething problems, endemic to any startup.

Winter nodded at Chrono, smiling, before turning back to Weiss. "You told me years ago, when you first started training, that you wanted to make the name Schnee mean something again, something more than cutthroat business practices and Dust at any cost. So please, sister. Look around you, see what you've built, and be _proud_ of yourself. You've succeeded in _everything_ you wanted, and the only way to go now is forward."

All the Ice Dust on Remnant couldn't have frozen the tears in her eyes, and the first one spilled down her cheek. Winter rose, making her way to Weiss' side and wrapping her in unexpected warmth. _"I'm_ proud of you, sister."

* * *

Mid-childa. A world of shining steel and white concrete, green plains and forests, blue seas and white clouds. Long recovered from a pre-magic industrial age, all hints of pollution and warfare scrubbed from the surface. Orbital infrastructure, satellites and stations and ships, shining brightly in the light from the system's sun.

 _The Four Seasons_ slotted perfectly into orbit next to its twin escort of planetary defense corvettes, and a small cheer echoed through the bridge. Chrono nodded in satisfaction before speaking. "Ship status?"

"Dust containment barriers fully operational, we've got full power to related systems."

"Gravity thrusters to station keeping!"

"Wards are stable. Dustrails One and Two powered down to standby."

The rest of the bridge stations sounded off, and Chrono nodded again before rising to his feet. "Good job, everyone. Comms, please message TSAB Central Command that the shakedown cruise was a success. Shift change in ten minutes."

Winter saluted sharply. "Sir. Teams RWBY and JNPR have signaled that they are prepared for departure to the surface."

"Good. I'll meet them in the teleport bay. XO Schnee, you have the bridge."

* * *

"Team RWBY reporting for boot camp, sir!"

"Team JNPR reporting for boot camp, sir!"

"Glynda Goodwitch of Beacon Academy. Reporting for Bootcamp. Sir." She didn't quite sigh, but Ruby could hear it in the professor's voice. She did her best to keep the amusement off her face.

The streetside office for the TSAB training camp was a squat, concrete building with well-maintained flowerbeds lining the sidewalk from the street to the entrance. Inside, an enlisted clerk dressed in Ground Forces brown manned the front desk, looking them all over curiously before tabbing at his holo-display. "Teams… Ruby and Juniper… Goodwitch…" He glanced up at them again, and his vision tracked to the last member of their group. The young man's eyes widened and he nearly knocked over his chair in his haste to salute. "Captain Harlaown, sir!"

Chrono returned the salute easily. "At ease, Corporal. These are the exchange recruits from Remnant."

"Oh- Oh! I did get a memo about them, sir. Their rooms are already squared away in the barracks. Uh… just a moment, I'll get someone down here to show you the way!" The corporal went back to his display, typing rapidly.

Letting the man work, Chrono turned toward them. "I can't stay much longer, I need to get back to _The Four Seasons._ But today will be your familiarization period with the facility, and tomorrow boot camp starts. It's not going to be easy, but just follow orders and do your best, and you'll be fine. I suggest you try to get to sleep early tonight, because wake up is at oh six hundred. Start off on the right foot and keep it up."

Ruby winced a little, but nodded. "Wake up is at six, got it. You heard him, team! We gotta get it out of our system early so we can get to bed!"

Glynda cleared her throat, extending her hand. "Thank you for coming down with us, Captain. We do appreciate your presence."

"It's the least I could do, Professor. But, as it stands, I need to take my leave."

"Have a good flight."

* * *

 _"Block D, present for morning inspection in five minutes. Block D, present for morning inspection in five minutes."_

Heaving a weary sigh, she closed the book application on the small datapad she was allowed, setting it on her desk before flipping the covers back into place on her bed. A cursory examination of the 9' by 9' room showed everything else to be in proper order. Sliding her feet into her issued footwear, she took her place at the far wall, keeping her hands at her side and facing the door.

Outside, she could hear faint sounds of footsteps, hints of spoken word and conversation. The humming vibration of doors opening and closing, one at a time. After what always felt like an eternity, the red light over her door blinked to yellow, and the center opaque panel faded to transparency.

A uniformed officer stepped into view, giving her cell a once over before tabbing at the holo-screen floating at his side. The lock flicked to green, and the door slid into the floor. The officer stepped into the room, giving her bed and desk a once over, glancing at the floor. "Passed. Fall, please follow your assigned escort to the cafeteria and commons room. You are allocated one hour for breakfast and socialization. Report to the floor monitor station at oh nine hundred for your work assignment."

"Yes, officer. Thank you." Cinder waited the required moment for the officer to step out of the cell before following, taking her place in line with four other inmates under the watchful eye of the security escort. They moved in a group for the exit of the cell block, passing under bright corridor lights down the hallway.

The Ruwella Orbital Penal Colony was classified as a high security prison, but all in all it was not a terrible place in which to serve her time. The correctional staff were polite, if strict, and the alloted amenities were actually rather comforting. The fact that they were even allowed amenities had surprised her the first few weeks of her incarceration.

Cell Block D took up one of five wings of the orbital station. Each block was fully self-sufficient, from power and life support to production of basic necessities, and was connected to the central administration block by a single well-guarded and well-armored umbilical corridor. In the center of the block, the cafeteria and commons room was where most of the prisoners' daily activities took place. A small, open gym for maintaining fitness, work tables for simple crafts and activities, and even a media center to which good behavior would earn access.

Breakfast was a simple affair. Fruit and vegetables and synthesized protein from the cell block's hydroponics garden, and earned credit could be spent for luxury items like real eggs and meats. Cinder tried her best to remain frugal, since earned credit could only go so far.

She picked her usual table off to the side of the cafeteria, setting her tray down and taking her seat. Most of the other inmates avoided her; as far as Cinder knew, she had been convicted of by and far the worst crime of anyone in the block, and even the other inmates didn't want to associate with the _soul-stealing terrorist._ It was her own fault, really. In a moment of weakness, increasingly wanting for conversation, she'd taken part in a discussion that had turned toward what they were all serving time for, and she'd realized that her _dimensional crimes_ were an order of magnitude more reprehensible than things like robbery and simple assault or murder. Word had spread like fire, fittingly enough, and now she spent most of her 'social time' as alone as if she was in her cell.

It wouldn't have bothered her a year ago, but after having spent months with a clearer mind now that the Maiden's power was both whole _and_ sealed within her, she could admit that possessing only half of the Fall Mantle _had_ in fact damaged her mind. Simple needs like human contact and empathy had been burned out of her thoughts by the barely-contained heat within, and now those mental wounds were healing.

Glancing down, she realized she'd finished her meal on autopilot, too preoccupied with her thoughts to savor the simple pleasure of eating. With a weary sigh, she stood and carried her tray to the conveyor belt that led to the sinks; kitchen duty was one of the many tasks that inmates could take on for credit, though she'd yet to allow herself to stoop _that_ low. From there her feet took her to the monitoring station. No one scattered out of her path, but several conversations went quiet as she passed, and she could feel the eyes on her the entire way.

The man at the station watched her approach. It wasn't the usual corporal sitting at the desk, and mild curiosity made her eyebrows arch. "Lieutenant Venza. I didn't expect you here today."

"Corporal Camry requested vacation time. Family emergency."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She was almost surprised to find that she wasn't lying. Almost.

The lieutenant watched her for a moment before responding. "Fall, you're twenty minutes early."

Cinder pursed her lips. "I know."

"It doesn't look good on your fraternization record to keep skipping out on social time." The man sounded genuinely concerned, and Cinder understood why. The TSAB made an _effort_ to rehabilitate inmates so that they wouldn't fall back into destructive tendencies upon release, and anti-social behaviors were a warning sign that rehabilitation wasn't progressing properly.

"I'm aware, sir. I'm willing, but… it's patently obvious that no one in there wants me around."

He frowned, nodding and making a notation on his screen. "I understand. I'll make a call or two. If it keeps getting worse I'll see about having you transferred to Block C, give you a fresh start. But keep trying, all right? Maybe they'll come around."

"Maybe you're right." The fact that Venza obviously _wanted_ her to succeed made her feel a little better. "What's my assignment for the day?"

He punched in a code, and a small work slip appeared on the desk. Venza motioned for her to take it. She picked it up, and couldn't help but let out a sigh when she read the order, her shoulders slumping. "...again?"

"I know it's boring, Fall, but you're the only one in the block who knows how to do it." Watching her face for a moment, Venza tapped his jaw, considering. "Tell you what. Handle it today, but I'll put out a few feelers and see if anyone else is willing to learn. Maybe you can run a class. It'll be worth some extra credits at the dispensary."

There was a lump in her throat, both from knowing what she was going to be doing for the day, and because the damnable fresh-faced young man kept trying to _do right_ by her _._ She swallowed it down, jerking a nod. "I would appreciate it. Thank you, Lieutenant."

"You're welcome. Take a few more minutes if you need it, Laundry isn't expecting you until oh nine fifteen."

Half an hour later saw her sitting at a worktable in the block's laundry room, a prisoner's jumpsuit spread over her lap to expose the tears across the knees. A needle threaded with orange thread was gripped in her trembling hand.

 _C'mon, Cindy! You're the best in the village at it, and my mother's going to kill me if I go home with tears in my pants!_

 _Is this enough silk for the dress? You've always worked absolute miracles before, you can do it again, right?_

Cinder squeezed her eyes shut, humming an old lullaby to herself, desperate to block out the memories before-

 _-the Grimm came, worse than ever before. Rampaging through the village pales, ripping people out of their homes, ripping them apart with long claws._

 _No huntsmen responded, as no one had been able to afford one to stay around on retainer._

 _Backed against the fireplace of her home, a beowolf slowly dissolving with an obsidian needle plunged into its eye. Awakening her aura in a fit of desperation, surviving what no child should ever have to endure._

She inhaled a shaking breath, forcing the vivid images away. _And I failed all of you. I couldn't even stay in play long enough to avenge you._

 _What a fool I was._

Cinder set the needle to cloth as tears clouded her vision and dripped down her face, mingling with her helpless and broken laughter.

'Hazredous' Interruptions - End

Well, this was a ride. I first started writing _'Hazredous' Interruptions_ over two years ago, posting to Spacebattles in the Creative Writing forums, due to a silly idea I had while watching the end of RWBY Season 3 with Golden Lark (He's in my Favorite Authors list, check him out. No really, worth the time). An idea turned into a short introduction chapter churned out in what felt like moments, and from that point the ball was rolling.

Over three hundred thousand words later, I look back at this monster we created and I can't help but be a little proud. There were rough patches to say the least, and one of the things I definitely learned is that you can't please everyone. But despite that, despite the trouble I had finishing what I started the last year or so, I'm happy with how it turned out, and I'm happier knowing that so many of you all enjoyed this trip from the humble beginnings to the inevitable conclusions.

I think I'll be taking a break of indeterminate length from the setting now that the book is officially closed on ' _Hazredous' Interruptions_ , but I'm sure as hell not done with the setting entirely. At some point in the future, you can all look forward to _'Hazredous' Interruptions Book 2 - HunterS._


End file.
